


Cold Burn.

by Canon_Breaker



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-10 23:38:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 59,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1165968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canon_Breaker/pseuds/Canon_Breaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amilee Barton was in Budapest when it all went wrong. Deserted by a brother she didn't want to lose, she finds herself part of the team, chosen by Agent Phil Coulson. But something is starting to chill her to the bone but can someone on the team warm things up?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
Amilee shuddered, steely eyes flashing open as she sat up, pulling the sheet around her body. She suppressed a shudder. Lips clamped together, she tried to keep the scream inside. Mentally cursing at the tiny bubble that escaped, she closed her eyes once more, watching the images flash over her eyelids. She swallowed once. Twice. Then she took a deep breath, arms wrapped around her chest.  
“Dammit, you stupid woman.” She berated herself, muttering curses as she reached for the button the base of her lamp. The light flickered on, slowly growing to full brightness, the room partially illuminated. Her bed was on angle, allowing her to see the entire room from one vantage point. It had been one of many stipulations, but few had actually been met. Blinking, Amilee looked around, allowing her brain to catch up again. It had only been the nightmare.  
Slumping back against the pillows, her heart rate finally returned to normal, and she groaned, sitting up again. The dull ache across her lower back had returned and she was in no fit state to do anything much at all. She ran a hand through her hair, the sandy curls bouncing as they landed on her neck. She stiffened, listening to the sound on the other side of the door. She groaned, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and stopped. She was slight, average height but skinny. There was no way out of the room apart from the door, although she had a suspicion about the wall to her left. She had asked for the wardrobe to be moved and the mirror taken down, but to no avail; there had been a refusal and it did nothing to settle her mind when the doctors said something about needing her to stay fully observable. The walls were dreary, a dull silver that was monotonous, supposedly calming an agitated mind. Amilee scoffed and hauled herself from her seat on the bed, stretching her shoulders as she cracked the stiffness from her joints. The sound popped loud in her ears and she hesitated a moment more, before pulling a training jacket around her shoulders. Zipping it up, she tilted her neck, refusing to get another blood blister. It had happened once before and would never happen again. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she plaited it, warming her limbs up as she paced slowly, the world and its wife pressing into her thoughts. Amilee refused to panic as she placed a hand on the door situated next to her mirror. She swallowed a breath, then exhaled anyway, releasing the air through her nose. The handle rattled as she shook it, frowning. She hadn’t locked it. No one had locked it. Had they? Thoughts raced through her mind and she shook her head. No, she hadn’t locked it. She remembered returning from the training room and falling onto her bed, the door slamming behind her as she went. She gave the knob a hard tug, hoping it would give; she was lucky, the door opening towards her. Growling at the inanimate object, she slipped from her room, leaving the light on.  
Hate didn’t cover her feelings for the recovery centre which SHIELD had placed her in. Loathe didn’t quite make it either, but it did come a little bit closer. Turning a corner, she paused, recognising the two men who stood deep in conversation, one in a white coat, the other in a training outfit of close fitting clothing, mostly black, which suggested assassin. The taller, white coated man was her doctor, the one who was keeping an eye on her mental health because according to the notes she’d read upside down, she was currently unstable. She disliked the term, deeming herself fit and ready for the field. I need to go back, she thought to herself, looking down the hall, dismissing the two men and the meeting. If the second man was who she thought it was, then she was due another fitness assessment. And that meant one of two things. She would either be written off for good, leaving her to have nothing left in her life or, the more approachable option, she would be allowed to stay, and after finishing her final recovery stage, there would only be the open field in front of her. Amilee made for the end of the hallway, sticking to the shadows, dark clothes blending in. The muted lights, making it seem that it was moonlit despite the obvious lack of windows. She paid attention to the conversation between the men, listening to the tail end as she snuck past.  
“There is nothing wrong with her, Clint. She just refuses to answer any of the questions with a logical answer.” Her doctor sighed and she froze, his gaze drifting to the wall where she stood.  
“…There must be. This has never happened to her before.”  
“You can’t come in here, Agent Barton, and expect to see her. I do not care if you have a mission to go to.”  
Amilee closed her eyes, breathing shallowly. She hoped that her doctor would let her past. He had always let her go from sessions, when she’d been a curled up ball of sweat and fear on the couch in his office. He gave her more freedom than the others, allowing her to return to finish his evaluations later, instead of pushing past her breaking point.  
“Do you recall what happened in Budapest, Agent Barton?” Her doctor raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his clipboard.  
“That was not my fault.”  
“No, it wasn’t, but neither was it hers.”  
“But nothing.” The doctor held his hands up to silence any more protests, striding away from Clint who frowned, glaring at his back. He followed the taller man, looking around the corner, peering into the shadows for Amilee’s room. He would find her before he left. A sort of reunion, he guessed.  
Amilee breathed a sigh of relief as she was left in the shadows. The sound was loud, and she flinched, closing her eyes to settle herself. There was nothing she could do now. Clint was back, and that, well… She shuddered at the thought, focusing instead on getting to the training room without getting caught there out of hours. The corridors were silent now that she was alone, her only company her breathing, and she liked it that way. At least she made herself believe she liked it. The floors were easily recognisable; the path she took should have been worn through to the wires and cables which lay below, connecting generator to device, snaking their way. She was jealous of their fluidity, the way the sinuous shapes twisted and bent in ways she could no longer. She opened the door silently, looking at the room with almost new eyes. It was so empty in the dark. She shook her head. It didn’t help her to dwell on the hollowness that was clamping her body in its vicelike grip. She shook out her limbs, hoping to rouse them from the cold that was seeping through the tunnels. Amilee cursed whoever decided to turn off the heating in the facility after one am. In her opinion… Her opinion didn’t matter, as she’d been told so many times before.  
Making her way towards the treadmill, she frowned, pausing before making the run to the machine. Scraped back, her hair swung in her ponytail, tickling the back of her neck. She slid under the barrier, taking care not to trip as she pulled herself over the lip and onto the machine. Finally upright, Amilee tucked stray hair behind her ear, and started up the machine, pushing the button to start it up. She no longer cared if she pulled a muscle, or tore a cartilage. What was the point? She ignored her orders, both medical and official, ramping up the speed and incline, pushing herself quickly into a sweat. This one she craved, unlike the one which followed her sheet wrapped terrors. As the rivulets of water slipped down her back to be soaked into the fabric of her top, her mind emptied, each drop a second of the nightmare which left her.  
It was close to six in the morning by the time she left, body drenched and muscles tight from all of her work. Amilee sighed, making her way past several other recovery patients, all in varying degrees of fitness, some escorted by nurses and others by their doctors. She hesitated, hand slipping from the handle of her door as she thought deeply. Lines creasing her forehead, she rummaged through her memories, then bit her lip. The idea escaped her, rather, the fine details left her in the dust. As she twisted the handle, she heard her name and she stopped, glancing over her shoulder. She pushed open the door and darted inside, slamming it shut behind her. She cursed the lack of lock, keeping her back pressed flat against the door, hoping they would go away.  
“Amilee?”  
She stayed silent.  
“Amilee?” It was Clint, his voice muffled by the sound of the door. Her room was almost sound proof, something to deaden the sound of the screaming. She was still unsure if it was hers or other patients they were trying keep in or out. He hammered on it, then tried the handle. When it didn’t work, he folded his fist and slammed against the door “Please… I need to talk to you.”  
She squeezed her eyes shut together, lip bitten, praying he would leave. She didn’t want to go there again. Avoiding it, avoiding him, was all that mattered. Amilee would not got back to Budapest. If she did, she would… They would... Everything would come out.  
“I don’t want to speak to you.” The words were out before she could stop them and she pierced her lip with her teeth, the flesh chewed on as she regretted them instantly. She heard the sigh, and the ending thud of his fist as he gave up.  
“We can do this through the door if we have to.” He said, quiet enough that Amilee nearly contemplated opening it, remembering at the last moment. She drew away from the door, sitting on her bed, and head in her hands, running through her hair. Pinging across the room, her hairband flew into the corner as she yanked it from her ponytail.  
“Amilee?” Clint swallowed from his position on the other side of the door, running a hand over his head, massaging the base of his neck. “I’m not going to ask again… The doctor… He, well, he asked me to talk to you. I need to know you’re okay before I check out to Europe on a mission.”  
“…It’s open.” She said, turning so her face was in the pillow, the cushion forming around her face as the memory foam start to mould itself.  
“What did you say?” Clint frowned for a moment, then tried the handle. It opened smoothly as she said the same thing again, but her voice was tight as she looked at him.  
“What do you want, Clint?” Her voice was edged and she sat up, folding her hands in her lap, fingers twisting together, thumbs sliding over one and other.  
“I am asking you to talk to me.”  
“You don’t ask anyone for anything unless it’s Natasha or Coulson.”  
“That’s not true!” He said indignantly, and for the briefest moment, Amilee was transported to their frequent disputes as children. The picture in her mind was clear. She was stood by her mother’s leg, telling her what Clint had done with the local neighbourhood kids. Clint had pouted, a lot like he was doing now, arms folded and frown set on his forehead.  
“Don’t you dare tell porkies. Porkies are the food of…. Of…” He struggled to get the words out, and he glared at his little sister, jaw clenched as he thought of what he could do to get her back.  
One look at him told her that he was there too.  
“Mom was so mad.” She said. Clint looked at her and allowed the faintest of smiles to creep onto the edges of his mouth. It didn’t reach his eyes. He nodded.  
“She was.”  
“What do you want?” Amilee repeated, hugging her knees, chin resting atop them. Clint slowly walked towards her, perching at the end of her bed.  
“The doctor said-“  
“He said you’re not allowed to see me before I’m ready.”  
Clint’s brow furrowed and rubbed his jaw, thinking back to the brief encounter he’d tried to persuade the doctor that she was actually fit to see him.  
“…I was in the gym.” She gestured to her clothes, then stood up. “…If you don’t mind, Clint. I want a shower, and then I’m going to need a nap.”  
“The nightmares.” He said, simple stating it as matter of fact. She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath to collect her thoughts, forcing them to take some kind of shape in her head.  
“Yeah. Them.”  
“Budapest. You relive Budapest every evening.” He swallowed, closing his eyes on her as she shuddered, gripping hold of the desk which had most of her personal items on it. Her mobile was there but unused. The charger was beside it. There was a hairbrush to the left of it and very, very simple make up on the right close to a round mirror which flipped and was aimed so that she could see the door from the bathroom should the screen be pulled away from the frame. There was nothing of home there, nothing of family. He refused to see it.  
“I relive Budapest every time I shut my eyes.” She said, voice catching in her throat, the words stiff. Clint’s mouth opened and shut a few times. He chose to keep it quiet, ignoring the instinct to press for all of the information she had. There was a lot of it. He could tell. Rolling her shoulders, she stood up and faced him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
“I cannot go back into the field until I am better, Clint.”  
“Amilee.”  
“Don’t. Just… Go on your mission. She gave him a curt nod, gesturing at the door. “I’ll call you.”  
He stood, recognising the frank dismissal. “I don’t think you will.”  
“Why change a habit of a lifetime?”  
“Don’t do this.” He was nearly out of the door when he turned back to her, the words sliding from his lips. “Lee, don’t. You remember when we were kids, back home, with Mom and Dad? Do you remember that we promised we’d die for each other before we’d kill each other? How no matter how much trouble we got into, we’d always have each other’s backs?” He paused for a moment, pain shooting across his face. “I don’t want to lose my only way back home, Lee. I’m pretty sure you don’t either.”  
Amilee bit her lip, sucking in a sharp breath as he eyes briefly fluttered closed. “Go, Clint. Go and save the world like you saved New York. Save something you can fix.”  
He left without another word. She saw his body quiver as the silent anger rolled out of him. Clint Barton was dangerous at the best of times. When he was angry...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Her days passed in much the same way; nightmare, work out, cat nap, breakfast, et cetera, et cetera. In all, Amilee was bored, the monotony slowly breaking her down. But she was also scared. Clint’s words echoed in her ears and she let them sit in her heart. Her doctor didn’t know about them. She had spoken to no one of them.   
“Agent Barton, please report to Level 8.” She frowned, hearing the metallic voice crackle through the speaker system implanted into all of the communal areas of the centre. Instead of heading for an elevator, she continued to make her snail trail to the doctor’s office.  
“Agent Barton, please report to Level 8 as soon as possible.”  
“No.”  
Agent Barton, report to level 8.”   
“Uh-uh.”  
“Failure to comply will result in a misdemeanour.” Amilee wheeled around at that, heading in the opposite direction. She skirted around a clump of people, who were stood huddled in conversation. She just saw suits and white coats, a frequent occurrence in the halls and something she had come to ignore.   
“Agent Barton, report to level 8.”  
“Alright, alright, geez.” She sped around the corner and barrelled into the lift, thumping a button as she leapt between the doors. Muttering some more curses, she glanced to her left, noticing that she wasn’t alone. A man stood in the corner, head topped with dark chestnut curls, jaw prominent, high, cutting cheekbones. She frowned, forehead creasing as she looked him over. He was tall, lean but his present was unnerving. As his sharp gaze fixed on her face, she glanced away, biting her lip as she stared, suddenly fixated on a spill in the lift.   
“Amilee?” Her head flicked up, and she appeared to be looking at him, but she didn’t. Her eyes were elsewhere, centred to the side of his face.   
“Sir?” Her voice was steady as she spoke, addressing him directly. His forehead creased, and a small smile crossed his lips, holding them for a moment. It reached his eyes, staying there. Blinking, she looked at him again, eyes narrowed as she tried to work out who he was, his face entirely unfamiliar. She’d been at the facility long enough to know nearly everyone that passed through. Nearly every agent came through here at some time or other, particularly for the yearly checks for functionality with the unit.   
“Amilee, I go by Doctor… Or even Matthews.”   
“Doctor Matthews?” She lifted an eyebrow, then dropped it, waiting for him to divulge some more about himself. They travelled in an almost companionable silence. The lift stopped. They both turned to look at the doors. The unmistakeable sound of a power fault rang through the elevator, the swooping drone reaching them as it slowly faded to blackness. Amilee backed up towards the wall, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. She dragged in the air, eyelids clamped together as she waited for the dull red glow to cover the darkness, telling her that light was on its way back to her. Slowly, she opened them, sensing the heat of the doctor’s body to her side. She trembled, unable to stop the shaking as it progressed up her fingertips. Breath issuing in short pants, she refused to look at him, screwing her eyes up tightly as the colds beads of sweat dripped onto her shoulders. She tried, failing to still her quaking shoulders as she gripped, fingers curling around her forearms. Mouth dry, she tried to think of her mantra, the words on the tip of her tongue but escaping her.   
Matthews went to her side the moment she stepped back, watching her movements with experienced eyes. He’d sucked in a breath as the lights blew out which he released slowly, blinking, allowing his eyes to adjust. She needed him to stay calm. Noting her symptoms, reaching out, he took her hand gently, moving it carefully from her jacket. He peeled her fingers away, standing in front of her. He felt the shudder, and slid one hand over, the other under her hand. He waited for her to calm, breathing evenly, surreptitiously checking her pulse. Her heart was pounding in her ears, tears starting to leak from the corners of her eyes. Not here. Not now. Not like this. Not here. Not now. Not like this. The mantra repeated in her mind, pounding in time to her heart beat. Lubdublubdublubdublubdub. Lubdub. Lubdub. Lubdub… Lubdub… It slowed, her breathing slightly easier as her eyes flashed open, lashes dropped with tears. Faint streaks lined her face, the white harsh against the scarlet flush. He knew better than to talk, but the concern in his frown was not trivial, certainly not professional. Looking to the left, she saw his face, to the right was a neutral and it was that she chose to look at. She could feel the colour recede, the slump that was coming as her energy levels plummeted. The colour drained as he watched, and let go of her hand to support her as she crumpled, head lolling back against cold metal. He mopped her face, supporting her neck with a gentle, skilled touch. Matthews frowned, then rummaged in his pockets for something sweet. It had been a panic attack. He was trained to deal with these, he thought, nodding to himself. She groaned, becoming more aware of him. He was very close.  
“…Back up.”  
“You’re not okay, Amilee.”  
“Leave me alone.”   
Matthews raised his eyebrows, his floppy curls lifting with them. He refused to move, hand back at her wrist, taking her pulse.  
“As a medical professional, I refuse. If you use force against me, I will have to report it as assault.” He said, tone dropping three octaves. The texture was gravelly, low and appealing to her ears and upon shutting her eyes, she nodded.  
“Do what you have to.” She sucked in a deep breath, then shifted, sitting up properly. Finally looking into his eyes, she noted their warm colour, the grey inviting her in. As she watched him, the shaking subsided, his hand keeping hers still. He finished taking her pulse. She knew the signs; two fingers pressed to her wrist, the almost audible flicker of eyes as they counted evenly. One banana, or Mississippi. Whatever his fancy was. The feeling was slipping from her ass cheeks, spreading down her thighs. She knew when she stood, it would be like jelly on a spoon. There was no way she’d use him for support. It would be unprofessional.  
“Do you reckon they know we’re down here?” His eyes locked onto hers and her mouth dried out again, his gaze piercing. She swallowed, tongue darting out to wet her lip.  
Her eyes flicked up and over his face, brow furrowing.  
“They should do. I’m apparently down for several tardy points.” She grumbled, looking back over his shoulder. He nodded to himself, the movement slight. It was a dismissal that she didn’t know she’d done, accidental. At least that’s what he thought.   
In truth, it was a dismissal. It was obvious. And definitely meant. Amilee, running her hand over her hair, stood up, gripping the wall with her hands as she rose to the regenerative hum of power. The lights flickered and she nodded, breathing steady. She checked her fingers, clenching them into fists, flexing them out again. A slight tremble remained. Matthews stayed close, looking her over.   
“Promise me you’ll get something to eat.” It was not a request, the tone too bitter, too harsh as he looked at her. His kind face was furrowed into somewhere between a glare and a frown. The lines on his brow were deep, she took the time now to look, to study him properly, and the lines by his eyes betrayed almost permanent worry.   
“Yessir.” She gave him a nod, looking away. He lifted his eyebrows; they came together giving his features a wistful, almost sympathetic look.   
“I’ll know… Amilee?” The lift thudded into life and she sucked in a breath, straightening her posture as the doors hissed, sliding back open to reveal a hubbub of waiting people.   
At the forefront, Agent Hill stood, arms folded, lips pressed together. This coupled with a raised eyebrow made Amilee quake a little more. She beckoned Amilee out, and she followed, head ducked, through the crowd of people waiting to get by. Agent Maria Hill led her around the corner, passing several doors, including her office.   
“Permission to speak ma’am?”  
“Enough, Agent Barton.” Amilee clamped her mouth shut, taking it as a direct order. Hill gestured into one of the interrogation rooms. There were several dark corners, a large glass screen, and lights tilting away from it, throwing most of the room into light save for the far corner. Amilee peered into it, trying to make out an outline in the darkened space.  
“Sit, Agent. Please.” The last word was tagged on, as if Hill had forgotten her manners. She was of higher rank, and of course, there were courtesies to hold up, but Barton was out ranked. Amilee jerked from the reverie to study the top of the table. She could see her thick, successful folder next to another few, most a lot skinnier but one was full, nearly more so. A small bottle of isotonic drink was in front of those, and next to it was a small bar of chocolate.   
“I know.” Maria paused, and gestured to the drink and packet. “Eat. Please.”  
“Thank, you, ma’am.” Amilee took a step forward and the door swung shut behind, the clang ringing in the confined space. There was a slight hiss, the lock clicking in place.  
“Why did you lock the doors?”  
“Good. Your aural skills haven’t been affected.”   
“Pardon?” Amilee gave a small smile, offering the return of one from Agent Hill. She didn’t return it.   
“You’ve been requested to return to the field.”  
“I’m supposed to be here for a reprimand. Particularly if you add the one I’ll be getting for missing my medical.”  
“That will be arranged for another time, Agent.”  
“You said requested?” Amilee reached for the drink, still standing even as Maria sat, crossing one leg over the other. “Ma’am?” There was a moment where Maria was still, watching the darkened space.  
“Your visuals are also good.”  
“Budapest was a long time ago, ma’am. What else was I going to do in three years?”  
“Agent Barton.” Maria’s tone was low, cautionary.  
“No disrespect.” Amilee cracked open the bottle, drinking deeply for a few moments. She replaced the cap with a snap. Maria pulled out a standard issue pistol, a GPS monitor clip, and an official badge.   
“…They’re mine.”  
“Yes.” She said, nodding as Amilee’s gaze swept over the table, watching her take them in. Maria watched for an unusual reaction.  
“What do you know of the Battle of New York?”  
“I know that there were several ‘agents’ brought in, a demi-god, a billionaire, two experimental beings… And that we lost one of our best agents because of some madman psychopathic rage killing angsty teenager of a Frost Giant was… Well, was trying to rule a kingdom in a distant space continuum.” Amilee rattled off the information she’d snaffled from various people, listening into a lot of conversations she wasn’t exactly privy too. She was glad that she didn’t have any commitments to others, not like the rest of them who were in a relationship or had families. How did an agent have a fully functional connection with another person when they were jetted across the planet anyway?   
Maria nodded, impressed but her true feelings were betrayed by the thin press of lips, the steely gaze and crossed arms. Amilee shifted, biting her tongue. She shouldn’t have said anything. Not one word should have passed her lips. A stale air of regret hung around them, Amilee licking her lips to wet them.   
“You know too much…” She said.  
“I know enough as my rank dictates.”   
“No. You were stripped of your rank when…”  
“When I blew up what I was asked, only to find I’d endangered two other agents. I screwed up.”  
“She’s my new favourite.”   
Amilee’s smile was turned upside down, eyes darting back to the corner as the shape shifted.  
“Your rank has been reinstated.” Amilee choked on the bite of chocolate she had just taken, swallowing the lump down. The voice was so familiar, so… Friendly. She lifted an eyebrow, looking around for the source. She swallowed, rolling her shoulders, standing up straight.  
“At ease.”   
“Sir.” She knew who it was. Coulson of SHIELD legend. He looked her over and her eyes matched his, the chocolate forgotten in her hand. He leant on his cane, and smiled, glancing from Maria to Amilee and back again.  
“She’ll do perfectly.” Coulson said, looking down at her fondly, warm grin on her face.  
“…For what, sir?” Amilee recovered, remembering his stature and status within the agency. Her jaw reacquainted itself with the other half and she swallowed, wetting her lips.  
He sighed, gesturing to the seat. She made out to refuse, looking at the tiled floor. She could just make out little cracks.   
“For a training operation.” Maria cut in, glaring at Amilee who once again declined the offer of a seat.  
“I’m not well enough. My psyche evaluations have been coming through with negative reports!” Amilee took a deep breath, frowning slightly as she bit her lip.   
“Agent Barton.” Coulson frowned, looking her over as his face fell.  
“Agent, we are offering you a way out of this facility. A way back into the field which you miss.” Maria stood up as Coulson sat. Good cop, bad cop. Amilee thought bitterly, lip curling, as she watched the power visibly shift. She rolled her shoulders, weight moving to her other hip.   
“…Yes, ma’am. Sir.”  
“That is all, Agent.” Maria said. “You are dismissed.” Amilee gave them each a respectful nod, and exited, the door clunking and sliding open. It clanged shut unintentionally. Coulson caught the tail end of Amilee’s wince and sighed, shaking his head. He looked up to Maria, eyes utterly wistful.  
“Smooth change.”  
“…I’ve had practice.” She said, sighing as she looked back at her superior. “You know she’s not going to play well with the others.”  
“It’s an exercise I’m hoping will work, Maria.” Coulson, still staring at the door which Amilee had walked through.   
“She won’t have to settle into a normal life.”  
“I was counting on that.” He took a breath, resting his weight on his simple cane. “…This is her last chance, or she will be terminated.”  
“Does Barton know?”  
“Know what?” His gaze flickered up to Maria’s face, eyes serious and the colour solid. His chin lifted and she looked him straight in the eye, gaze not wavering as they stared each other down for a moment.   
“Does he know that his sister will be terminated?”  
“That’s a stupid thing to ask.” She said curtly, folding her arms as she sat opposite him. A folder was opened, pulled from the top of the pile, pieces of paper in varying degrees of colour were strewn across the desk surface, covering the cold metal with a rainbow. Coulson took another one, looking it over briefly.  
“They are all necessary, Maria.”   
“I know.”


	3. Chapter 3

Amilee was breathing heavily, nostrils flaring as she stopped around the corner from her doctor’s office. She was at least half an hour late, the time running away from her. She was in a dream state, running through toffee, barely moving for every step she took.  
“…Snap out of it…” She muttered, words catching in her throat as sped around the corner.  
“Amilee Barton…” She looked up to see the kind, weathered face of her doctor, his smile warm. His shock of white hair was thinning still, skin taught around his cheekbones and neck. He reached out a spindly hand, which she took out of politeness. The man had been everything but harsh on Amilee, and so she held a great deal of respect for him. “You are very late, Agent.”  
“My apologies…” She bit her lip looking at the floor. “…I was with Agent…” She tailed off and watched him open the door to his office.  
“It’s of no matter, Agent. You have every right to miss one of your appointments, you’ve kept every other one since. We do, however, have a guest joining us today.” He gestured for her to enter first. She took his invitation, looking around the room, eyes slightly widening as she came face to face with the same doctor she’d met before.  
“Amilee, I’d like you to meet Doctor-“  
“Matthews.”  
“You two know each other?”  
“Yes.” She nodded, biting her lip. “I… Had…  
“We met under peculiar circumstances this morning.” Matthews cut her off, taking the lead in the situation; he seemed sort of protective, something which caused Amilee’s hackles to rise. She ignored the hand he offered for her to shake, sliding around him cautiously, back almost pressed against the clear, clinical white room. She had always found his office odd, the lack of literature, the lack of office equipment. There was a small, antique side table, guilt legs ending in little claws. Two squashy armchairs were sat at angles to the long leather sofa, classic for the shrink environment. It was a room of contrasts but there was no smell. Nothing stale, nothing cleansing. Just… Nothing.  
“Peculiar?”  
“…I think I’ll leave Agent Barton to explain, sir. In all honesty, it’s her story, not mine.” Matthews gave Amilee a small smile which she didn’t return, her lips stuck into together in a smooth line.   
“…Can ask I as to why your presence is necessary?”   
“You can, I’m sure.” Matthews’ smile grew wider, reaching the edges of his eyes which were also warm, inviting her to look at them. He was faceted; every time she looked at him, she saw something else that intrigued her and yet caused her to feel uneasy, her stomach clenching.  
“Matthews…” Her doctor remained in his position by the door, arms crossed over his chest, eyes flicking between each of them.  
“Yes, sir?” He broke the eye contact, glancing up at him. His smile faltered, his hands clasping together as he sat back. He’d leant forward, taunting Amilee into any sort of reaction.  
“Enough. This is a professional appointment, not a social call, as you know full well.”  
“Yes, sir, sorry sir.” He stood up and walked to a small side table, a notebook and pen laid on the top. He sighed, and Amilee noted a slight eye roll and then his eyes closed briefly.  
“Doctor Matthews is only joining because of his training. As you know, I will be retiring soon.” Amilee nodded, breathing deeply, distracted by the sudden scratching of the pen.  
“I know.” She murmured, looking up into her doctor’s eyes. She looked away quickly, biting her lip, vision blurring as the tears welled up. Once she was sure that she’d quelled them, almost sucking them back into her tear ducts, Amilee looked back at him.  
“…How am I supposed to talk to someone new about my problems, Doctor?”   
“By learning how to trust someone.” Her doctor took the seat emptied by Doctor Matthews, leaning forward, taking up her space slightly. “You know you are more than just a patient, Amilee. You know you are allowed to feel, to be human.”  
“I know am more than just a patient. I am allowed to feel. I am allowed to be human. I am more than an Agent of SHIELD, I am human and I can feel. I have the right to feel.” Her voice trailed off to an almost inaudible murmur, the mantra from before pounding through her head in time to heart. “Not here. Not now. Not like this. Not here. Not now. Not like this.” I am here. It is now. It was never like that. She thought, nodding, sucking in another deep breath as she leant back and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the sound of the pen on paper, the squeak as Doctor Matthews shifted, his breathing loud. She knew it was his, her hearing was completely unaffected by the explosions she’d set and suffered from. Her own doctor was silent, letting her settle into her space, her mind space. She opened her eye, looking out from under the lid, as the nib of the pen cracked, causing the ink to spill and slide down the page. Matthews cursed, the notebook ruined.  
“I’m not going to go anywhere if he is in here, Doctor.” She opened the other and sat up, lifting her eyebrows as she looked at him, then flicked a glare in Matthews’ direction for good measure.  
“You know you have to be here, you know you’re not supposed to interrupt…”  
“Amilee.” Her doctor shook his a centimetre to either side. “Please wait outside… Please, just for a moment, I promise. One moment, then we can continue with your treatment.”  
“Treatment?” Matthews piped up, frown appearing across his near perfect features, tilting his head.  
“Amilee, I need to have a word with Doctor Matthews, in private.” He made to stand but she had beaten him to it.  
“Of course, sir. Of course. You do what you have to.” She held her hands up in defence. “Please, don’t get up on my account.” She gave her doctor an apologetic smile, then left, shutting the door carefully behind her.  
“Doctor Carlisle?”   
“Yes, Doctor Matthews?”  
“Why is she how she is?”  
“If you’d read her file like you were supposed to.” He shook his head, breathing deeply.   
“I didn’t think you were nearing retirement age, either.”  
“I’m not.”  
“Then why tell her that?” Matthews asked, frown lines deepening as he looked ever more confused. Carlisle looked back at him and sighed, sitting back.  
“It is a test for her. To see if she can cope with losing something else important in her life. It is to prepare for the operation.”  
“Operation?”  
“Already I have said too much. Doctor, you are here to observe. I suggest you do that. The notebook doesn’t matter… Did you use red or black ink?” Carlisle’s voice was friendly but hiding meaning, disguising his words.  
“I used red. I always make initial observations in red.”  
“She will not take kindly to that.”   
“No? May we test it out?” Matthews tried out the words tentatively, looking him over with a small frown.   
“You are talking about a human being.” Carlisle muttered, running a hand over his hair, slicking it back to cover one of the thinner patches.   
“Pardon, sir?” Matthews shot him a winning smile, turning his charm up to try and persuade the older physician. He just laughed and shook his head.  
“Were you not paying attention?”  
“I was, sir, but my notes were wrecked by the ink that spilled.”  
“She is a human being. A human being, Doctor Matthews.” His eyebrows lifted and he stood up, looking over at Doctor Matthews as he began to pace. “A human being who has been damaged by an event, which by the way, she will have to tell you about, that turned her life upside down. She was fortunate in her mission, others were not. Others would have left after such mission, she has spent the past three years in therapy. I can tell you not, that she will have run off to the gym and won’t return to this room for another hour and a half at the very earliest. You have no idea what happens inside her mind.”  
“But surely her notes…”  
“She is not script on a page, she is not ink on paper. Amilee is fragile.”  
“From her notes…”  
“You go back to the written word. What do I have to do to make you understand that beneath the shells and hardened exteriors, there are fragile people. They see things you couldn’t comprehend. They do things that you would have no chance in all of the darkest depths of hell of waiting for or experiencing. Each of them has a personal shield, a wall you might describe it as in their minds.”  
Matthews shifted, taking a sharp inhale of breath. He coughed slightly, the sound loud in such a deserted room.  
“And hers is the hardest to crack?”  
Carlisle nodded, shaking his head as he sat back down, settling into an armchair, hands splayed over the arms, mapping out the chintzy patterns with his finger tip.  
“I have known three patients, three people.” He corrected himself, pouting as he scolded himself on the inside.  
“Just three?”  
“Barton, Barton, Romanoff.” He sighed, putting his head in his hands. “And there is one thing which links them.”  
“Budapest.”  
Amilee screamed into the pillow, letting it mould around her face as she yelled her throat raw. Who did that doctor think he was? She was trying to get better and he was there, scratching away with his pen and his… his notes! NOTES! She finished, sobbing into the cushion, ignoring the knock on the door. It happened again. She sucked in deep breaths, wiping her eyes hurriedly with the edge of her blanket.  
“C-c-come in.” She chewed the inside of her mouth, clamping on the flesh hard to look at whoever opened the door.  
“Amilee Barton, you’ve been requested to go to the Newark Hanger to meet with the rest of your team. You have one hour” She studied the man in front of her, taking in his suit; it was tailored perfectly for him. His stance screamed agent, but his face said broken family. His eyes were too cold but set in a chiselled face, something to set the tongues wagging amongst staff, both male and female. Muscles toned beneath the suit material, she knew only a little about him, but not enough to make a good, quality judgement.   
“Is that where you’re going?” She asked quietly, just as he was about to leave.   
“…How did you know?”  
“How…” Her eyes flickered down to the edge of the door frame. “Your bag, uh, gave it away.” Voice strengthened with use, Amilee tried not wince at the sound of it. The edges weren’t honed; she was usually so smooth. The bag was just in view, the handle pooling by the side.   
“You’re good.”  
“I was one of the best.” She muttered, looking away. Intense, she had to give herself a break from his gaze.   
“I heard…” His eyes narrowed briefly, looking back through his memory for the sound he’d just heard.  
“You heard nothing.”  
“I heard muffled screams.”  
“It was nothing, Agent, I suggest you respect my privacy, thank you very much. Please exit my room before I make you.” Amilee narrowed her eyes back, glaring at him. Her words were laced with venom, but he didn’t recoil.   
“…You’ve made no move to pack.”  
“I’m being watched.”  
“We’re always watched, Agent.”  
“I asked you nicely. I will remove you forcibly.” He just lifted an eyebrow before turning, leaving her door open as he walked off, turning to the left towards the lifts.  
“Nice to meet you too, jackass.” She muttered, standing up. She walked to the modestly sized wardrobe set next to the window, and opened the bottom drawer, pulling a large black sports bag from the depths of the inside. She placed it beside her, pulling several pairs of the same black, tight training trousers in it, leaving them stuffed into the corners. Shirts followed, both smarter t-shirts, her patient shirt joining them as well. A small sigh escaped, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Standing, she opened the door, holding it as she observed her barren cupboard. Amilee reluctantly reached for the little black dress which hung from the halter neck straps. Her lip curled upwards, and she sighed, straining for the posh dress bag to fold it in to. She also nabbed the higher pair of heels, black peep toe with a softer, steel grey wedge.  
“…Just in case,” She murmured, looking at them, eyes glazing with tears.  
“Just in case, hm?” Coulson was stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.  
“Uh.” She hopped up, yanking the bag over her shoulder. Her fingers slid down the strap, the friction waking her up to his presence.  
“You heard, then.” He lifted an eyebrow, looking from her to the bag to the rest of her room.  
“Yessir. I didn’t realise we would be so prompt.” She turned her back on him, feeling the burn of his eyes as she looked around for her pyjamas to stuff into the bag.  
“Amilee, I know what happened in Budapest. This won’t be like then, you know that, don’t you?” He said, watching her with those kind eyes which seemed to know everything about her with one look or one word. His presence, however, was just calming and she found herself looking at him, watching him watch her.  
“I know.” A swallow surfaced and he followed it down her neck, eyes flicking back to hers.   
“You know that you can do it… You can also back out at any time.” Coulson made offer, tentatively watching her as she continued to pack, working around him as he stepped into her room. There was a long pause in her reply.   
“…Sir, you haven’t offered this to anyone else, have you?” Her eyebrows lifted as he shook his head, frown lines appearing as he made to sit. Amilee rushed to his aid and ignored the muttered protests which he came back with. She helped him onto the edge of the bed, moving her bag with one hand and steering him with the other.  
“Agent.” He scolded her, eyes stern as she continued to pack around him, picking up the few, light possession which she owned. Amilee shivered, opening another drawer, the bottom of the three under her mirror, and pulled on a close fitting hoody.  
“I’m not ready for this, Sir.” Amilee’s voice cracked, her white knuckle grip on the counter top tightening. His presence didn’t soothe her now, it only chose to agitate her senses further. Shoulders heaving, she let out a long exhale, looking at the top until the lines blurred. She heard him move, the bed squeaking as he pulled himself up. There was a muffled tap of the cane, the movement of his feet following it. She looked up to see him disappear from the room, the door slowly shutting.  
“I am not weak today. I am not weak at all. I was strong back then… Not… Not here, not now. Not. Like. This.” She shook her head as the images started to flash behind her screwed up eyelids; red, violent patches which had flickers of flame and buildings crumbling and then the screams started. “Not. Like. This.” To her, the words were nearly silent, just her mouth moving. “Not. Like. This. Please.”   
Amilee hesitated, then shook her body again, breathing deeply and evenly. “I will not cave. I will not bend. I am human. This is good.” But at the same time it wasn’t.  
There had once been a time when Amilee would confidently speak, sometimes too abruptly or with too much edge, which made her out to be a lot harsher than she meant to be, or even, deep down, colder than person she was. Now, she gripped onto that wish; all she could do was push forward, looking to the future. She welcomed each challenge, but what Coulson was offering her. What SHIELD were offering her. She knew about contract termination; it was like that of a normal nine to five office job. Except with a more permanent retirement destination. Amilee breathed in deeply, blinking back the tears. “I have a way out of this facility.” Amilee finished packing, everything finally finding its way into some form of tight parcel of fabric, or a screwed up ball of mismatched mayhem. Bathroom cleared, she looked around the room which had been hers for three years. It was end of an era. She was sure.


	4. Chapter 4

The car pulled up into the drive, rolling over the gravel and speed bumps slowly. It paused at the check points, the driver’s window rolling down to flash her pass. It didn’t occur to Amilee that she was being allowed time to catch up on the lost sleep of the night before. Amilee was curled up in the back, head leaning against the cool, dark tinted window. The car was comfortable, the seats let her sink back and relax as much as an agent could during transport, but somehow she’d found herself in a deep sleep. One eye cracked open, and she peeked through the slit. They were here. The hangar. The car rolled to a gentle halt, and her slip forward woke her up, the jolt sending her stomach reeling.   
“We’re here, Agent Barton. Please exit as soon as you can.” The mechanised voice issued from a small speaker behind her and she groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She cracked her back and neck back into place, the joints snapping with loud pops.  
“Thank you. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” She got out, grabbing the bag from the foot-well and strode away from the vehicle, looking around. Her name was called and she stopped, frozen as she looked up at the giant aircraft which was slowly rolling from the main hanger. The biggest piece of mechanic engineering she’d seen, the plane outweighed any expectations.  
“…Wow.” The word left her lips in a whisper and got carried by the wind into an echo that nobody heard.   
“Barton… BARTON!” Her name was called again, and she darted out of the way of the plane as it began to turn to finish the loading process. Amilee ran, looking for the source of the voice and found it in the form of the man from before. Running towards the loading platform, she took a leap, grabbing his extended arm and hauling herself up, bringing her bag with her. She gave him a small, fleeting smile which he didn’t return. She shrugged, murmuring her thanks as she brushed herself down. She dropped her bag at the sight of a fifties style car, in a bright shade of candy paint red. It was gorgeous, polished to a shine. She walked around it, eyeing it carefully.   
“Oh… You are a beauty. Who do you belong to?” She asked the car, hand reaching out to run along the sleek lines.  
“…That’s…”  
“Coulson’s.” A sigh escaped and she smirked slightly. “Oh, I know.”  
“…I know you’re Barton.”  
“And you are?” It was a short walk back to her bag but a longer one to the doors at the end of the drop platform.  
“Agent Ward…”  
“Ward. Ward… Just as good as Romanoff?” She was rewarded with the briefest, slightest of lip twitches as he nodded, leading the way, his own bag left deserted on the platform.   
“Yes.”  
“Agent Grant Ward.” She nodded, impressed with him. “I’m sure we will get acquainted properly soon enough.”  
“I’m sure… I thought you hadn’t been-“ He cut off as Coulson stood, arms folded. Amilee frowned, looking him over. Gone was the cane, the slightly doddery stature. He was different. Straightened in a fluid roll, her back settled into place, her shoulders back and chin lifted.  
“At ease, Agent.” Coulson said, looking at her with a small smile. “This is Fitz-Simmons.” He gestured behind him to the two younger scientists. She rippled at their white coats, temper rising as she shifted her weight back, slipping into a state fit for running. “Fitz is engineering and Simmons is biological chemistry.”  
“…I’m sorry I was late…”  
“It doesn’t matter. You are here now.” The voice of Melinda May shot through the room and captured Amilee’s attention. “Amilee Barton, it has been far too long for you.”  
“It’s not been long enough some would say… Master.” She bowed respectfully, and Melinda bowed back.   
“Although the same could be said for me.”  
“We’re waiting for one more, although we will retrieve him from the Heli-carrier around two hours from now. I expect everybody well rested.” Coulson smiled at each of them in turn. Fitz looked at Simmons and shrugged, gesturing at the doorway for them to return to the lab. Melinda sighed, then turned on her heel, heading to what Amilee guessed was the front of the plane. She waited for a moment, then Melinda reappeared, beckoning her with a hand. Ward frowned, folding his arms across his chest. Amilee cast him a wary glance, then scarpered after Melinda, catching up just as she entered the cockpit. The dials were all alight, glowing and the thrum of energy seemed to have an immediate effect. Amilee headed for the vacant seat to Melinda’s right, sitting in the plush leather with a small, quiet sigh. Melinda glanced at her briefly, carrying on with her checks as she saw Amilee’s head drop against the high arm, eyelids blinking. There was a slight pause, then the huff of slow, steady breathing. Nodding to herself, the older woman focused on the complex grid in front of her. There would be time for talking later, she thought, taking a deep breath, her stomach knotting into several pieces. Melinda looked out of the window, starting to turn the plane, feeling the rumble of the engine as she began to taxi down the runway. She knew everyone was sat up right, with some form of strap holding them in place. Another breath, the speed ramping up as the plane headed down the runway, nose lifting as the giant craft lifted itself into the air, travelling up the ramp. Amilee’s stomach swooped but she didn’t feel it, her sleep currently dreamless and deep. Melinda held her breath, urging the aircraft forwards as she let the climb continue.   
It wasn’t long until they hit their target height of twenty eight thousand feet. They’d been cruising for around half an hour when Amilee finally blinked, looking up at Melinda who’d donned a pair of dark tinted aviators. Flawless as usual, Amilee gave her a little smile as she stretched with a yawn.   
“You’ve been out for an hour.” Melinda said, giving her a sideways look before returning her attention to the airspace in front of her.  
“R-R-Really?” Amilee yawned, blinking as she stretched to sit up properly. “I’m surprised I lasted that long.” She scoffed, rubbing the back of her neck, gripping the muscles and kneading the knots that stubbornly remained there. The scorch of someone’s unwavering gaze finally hit the back of her neck and she looked round suddenly to see the door slide shut.  
“Who… Who was watching me sleep?”  
“I don’t know…” Melinda trailed, head flicking to Amilee, lingering as the younger agent looked at her. “I don’t, Amilee. We hit a patch of turbulence earlier. I was preoccupied.”  
“…How long before we meet this specialist?” She asked, frowning a little as she scratched the back of her neck.  
“Not long… ETA approximately forty five minutes.” Melinda sighed, then looked her over. “You shouldn’t hide out in here, Amilee.”  
“Like I need to make friends, I have loads.”   
“Don’t take that tone with me.” For a moment, she was thrown back into her early days, when she’d been trained by May along with Agent Hill.   
“I’m not taking any tone. I swear.” They spoke at the same time, a small smile creeping over Melinda’s mouth. “Get out of my cockpit and settle down in your room. You can’t stay in here, you need to be briefed with Ward on the specialist.”  
Amilee nodded, picking up her bag. “I’ll go and pick a bunk.” She looked at Melinda and smiled her thanks.  
“What was that?”  
“Just for letting me kip in here…” She shrugged, then bit her lip. “No disrespect meant, ma’am.” She nodded respectfully, turning on her heel to walk from the cockpit. She made it out of the door and down the corridor, darting into a room with twin single beds. A familiar black bag was on one of the standard issue slightly bigger than a single beds, the other still had the regulation folded bed linen and other such amenities.  
“Nothing but the best.” She muttered, slinging her bag down at the foot of her bed. She looked it over and sighed, sitting it on it as she rubbed her temples. So far, so good, she murmured to the room, another deep sigh lifting her whole body. Turning at the scuff of the door on the carpet, she snorted, a sharp puff of air.  
“What are you doing here?” The agent from before, the one who’d greeted. She frowned as he frowned back, trying to remember the other’s name.  
“Ward.”  
“Barton.” He gave her a curt nod, stepping in and shutting the door behind him as he sighed. “What are you doing in here?”  
“Do you have a problem with authority, Ward?”  
“Do you, Barton?” He folded his arms, staring down at her. His shoulders were tight, drawn up into a tense bunch. Eyes narrowing, Ward looked down at her, watching her carefully. He took in as many details as he could, then stepped back, processing as he went. She was dangerous, but damaged. That much was clear. And her file told him that.   
“No, Ward. I don’t. But neither should you.”   
“I didn’t say that…” He paused, looking at his. “What are you doing in here?”  
“I thought this room was spare and didn’t think of looking through your private life.” She bit her lip, wincing at the harshness of her words, the iciness of her tone.   
“…If you’re thinking of bunking in…” She looked up at another scuff, Ward turning to see Coulson looking at them both. He lifted his eyebrows, an ever so slight smirk appearing on his lips.  
“Am I interrupting something you two?” He waited for an answer. The cane was still missing and his face was even lighter than before, but his eyes were still filled with turmoil, a sort of flickering indecision.  
“No sir.” Amilee stood up, figuring she should have done so beforehand. The bare room was suddenly stuffy, the infuriating sense of something she couldn’t quite a grip on was beginning to roll over her, wrapping her up. Her fingers curled into fists then flexed, splaying as she turned to face Coulson straight on. Scared that her frame of mind would be given away, she folded her arms and she saw Coulson smirk. Her mind was elsewhere, focusing on keeping her steady… Sane.   
“Barton will bunk with Ward. There’s no point you moving now, Ward. I’m sure you’ll keep out from under each other’s feet.” He gave them each a pointed look. “We’ll be at the carrier soon.”   
“Yes, sir.” Amilee nodded, watching him leave with baited breath. “Do you know who it is they’ve enlisted?” She turned to Ward, who looked down at her with a lifted eyebrow.  
“You mean you don’t know?”  
“Let’s just say that this is my last chance.” Her eyebrows came together, hoping to persuade an ounce of information from him. Amilee waited, looking him over, searching for some kind information. “You’re joking, right?”  
“About what, Barton? I have briefing to…” He looked at her, then the door, his jaw dropping. Closing it, Ward rubbed his neck, growling under his breath. “You screwed up the briefing.”  
“I screwed it up?” She frowned, marking his position in the room, mentally measuring the distance between her bed, the door and the tiny porthole window by his bed. His weight was also gauged, guessing his preferred fighting technique. She established that he’d fight by the book but with a few improvisations, and he wouldn’t hesitate to hit a woman. She’d hit a man just as quickly, especially if it escalated to physical combat. It would take her longer to disarm him, at least it would if he wasn’t so placidly irritating. He oozed this peculiar blend of calmed rage, like he’d snap if she pushed him too far. Amilee jolted out of her reverie when she realised he’d been staring at her for a good few moments. “I… I uh… I didn’t mean to.”  
“It was a test… To see if we clicked.”  
“We failed.” She emphasised the first word. They were going to be forced to be partners; it never worked, never had, throughout the whole of SHIELD’s history. She glanced around at the walls, shuddering at the dark clinical feel. The rooms were like interrogation units, dark and depressingly oppressive.   
“We didn’t fail. You failed.”  
“I’m not going to fight with you, Ward. Not even to stroke that carefully combed ego you have going. I can poke it from here.” She edged around him, heading for the door, anyway to escape the pressing feeling, the pressure rising in the room like the vein in his neck.   
“Barton.” Ward said, nodding dismissively.  
“Ward.” She used the same scathing tone, mimicking as she stood in the frame. “We better pass the second time around then.”   
Amilee found Fitz-Simmons in the main, communal area. She hadn’t taken any notice of it before, of how spacious their living compartments were. It was alien, ridiculously comfortable, like an upmarket studio flat for more people than the usual one or two.  
“You’re not listening, you have to connect to the human side of the brain, Fitz… Look. Like this.” Jemma Simmons pulled his hand, moving it to the other side. She rolled her eyes, laughing slightly as he repeated the same action as before. Amilee cursed under her breath as she caught her foot on the edge of another chair, stubbing her toe. Twisting like a cat, she landed on all fours. It wasn’t delicate, nor pretty, her jaw catching the lip of the step.  
“Fucking mother of holy hell fuck…” The cusses spilled from her mouth, the usually carefully applied filter slipping as she sat back, cupping her jaw. She could feel the slight graze, the sting as the pads of her fingers scraped over it.  
“Are you alright?” Jemma rushed over, her white coat billowing behind her. She frowned, eyes alight with concern, seemingly in her element. “Agent… Barton?” Nervously, she tried out Amilee’s surname, her smile slipping only slightly until Amilee nodded, wincing. She stepped backwards, flopping into the offending chair’s arms. Looking up at Jemma with bright eyes, Amilee bit her lip apologetically.  
“Yes.”   
“…Wasn’t what I’d call a great first impression.” Fitz called over, looking at her with a smirk.   
“That’s not very… Nice, Fitz.” Simmons looked back at him, glaring with the authority of a big sister. It was a feeling that she got from them; there was a bond deeper than just two friends who’d met at work. There wasn’t any romance, at least not from Simmons.  
“Oh, please. She’s an agent.” Fitz said, tone entirely scornful but both of the women looked up, noting the ever so slight hint of wistfulness that edged over the top of the words. He shrugged, looking back at them, then going back to his work. That was until Simmons beckoned him over, begging him to bring the first aid kit over to her.   
“Please, let me clean it.” Simmons asked Amilee who shook her head, fingers covering the raw mark.  
“Honestly, it’s fine. I promise. I’m a big girl now.” She tried a smile, wincing at the pull of the skin as her mouth moved.   
“You never know who’s been tracking what around these floors, not least who last cleaned them and when they were cleaned. There’s all sorts of bacteria crawling around.” Jemma seemed to be going off on a tangent, readying all the materials she’d need to bathe and cleanse the wound. It didn’t count as a wound, just a surface break that would be healed within a matter of days but Jemma wouldn’t hear it, ignoring any of Amilee’s further protests. She backed away from the approaching hands, pushing at them as she rolled from the chair to stand. Jemma looked up at Amilee from her position on the floor.  
“Please, don’t. Don’t touch me.” She took a deep breath, calming down. “Please.” Her eyes glazed, breathing shooting out in hard pants. Simmons backed up, moving the kit with her feet carefully.   
“Okay…” Simmons murmured, watching with so much concern that Amilee felt queasy just looking at her. She didn’t know what worst half the time, was it the people that didn’t care at all, like Ward and Doctor Matthews, although she’d only met both of them under certain forms of duress – it wasn’t her fault that both of those meetings had ended with undesired consequences – or the people that cared too much like Simmons or… Clint. She murmured the last under her breath, causing Jemma to fix attention back to her.  
“I’m sorry, did you say something?” She asked kindly, smile slight and uncertain. Her clipped English accent was there, the sound already grating on Amilee’s nerve. Of course the unit was multicultural. Fitz would be hardest to understand.   
“No.” She shook her head, sitting back in the chair, creating a barrier with her knees as she drew them up to her chest. Her chin settled on the tops, and Jemma passed Amilee the cleaning kit, holding them by the very ends.   
“Here. I’d hate for you to get an infection.”  
“…I’m hardier than that, Simmons.”  
“Jemma, please. We’re all equals here.” She gave another wide beaming smile, then returned to Fitz’s side where she grabbed the laptop and turned it around to her, reading the article on the screen. Hers flicked over the page, to Amilee, and then she scrolled, absorbing the information that she picked up. They spoke in hushed tones as Amilee finished cleaning her chin up, if only to please the scientist.   
“You know she was the cause of Budapest.”  
“Don’t be silly, Fitz. That was one of the most successful missions which SHIELD ever accomplished.”  
“You can’t be serious! Simmons, she blew up a building, knowingly endangering the lives of two of the best agents we’ve ever had!”  
“Have.” Jemma reminded him. “You know that they’re still on the books.”  
“The whole world knows it after the Battle of New York.” He hissed back.  
“Oh, you know what I meant. Stop being so pernickety, Fitz.” She clicked on a link to another page on Amilee’s file. They weren’t supposed to have access but it had been almost too convenient not to share their findings with each other. Fitz-Simmons glanced in unison at Amilee who was curled back up. They could just see her mouth move, counting up and down from ten in several languages.   
“Un, deux, trois…” Amilee breathed. “Diez, nueve ocho..”  
“Do you reckon she can speak in Russian?”  
“She’s an agent. There’s a minimum requirement, isn’t there?” Fitz laughed quietly, turning his attention back to the screen as a siren sounded. “…Have we got a mission?  
Ward came running in, pulling a close weaved top over his head, pulling the zip up to his chin. “We’ve got a few minutes before the specialist boards. Where’s Barton?” He glanced around, frowning as Fitz shrugged and Simmons pointed at a now empty chair.   
“She was there a moment ago…”  
Amilee had disappeared behind the arm, the solid side giving her enough cover; in particular, the curved arm was providing optimum cover to keep her shielded from their view.  
“She’s still in here.” Coulson appeared from the opposite direction and looked at her with a sharp frown, shaking his head. She poked her head up sheepishly. ”Barton, please get up.”   
Following the order reluctantly, she stood, rising fluidly despite the unnerving crick that had decided her neck would be a good place to set up shop in. She’d forgotten that sleep without her pillow caused her stiffness to increase tenfold, something that she should have been working on with a physiotherapist but all of the ones at SHIELD were out in service somewhere on the planet. She sighed, stretching her back for a moment before standing upright. The group assembled in front of Coulson all turned to look at him, arranged in a vague form of a semicircle as they surrounded him. He commanded the space well, crossing his arms as he addressed them simultaneously as a group and by themselves. The words were marked with meaning, something different for each of them but ultimately, they were the same.   
“He’s a specialist in neuroscience...” Coulson glanced at Fitz as the engine growl intensified, beginning the drop to the ground. “…Don’t look like that, Fitz, he’s at the top of his game. Much like you and Simmons. I’m sure you’ll get along… Part of the programme guidelines is a suggestion that a psychiatrist or psychotherapist is either on board or contacted regularly to help you maintain a semblance of normality.” Coulson looked at each of them, his eyes lingering on Amilee who could only maintain the eye contact for a few seconds before blinking, looking at the suddenly interesting beige carpet at her feet. Ward raised an amused eyebrow, catching on quickly. All of her reactions were being marked down, noted for their next conversation. Coulson carried on after a slight cough, speaking about regular meetings and appointments.  
“Although you have all passed previous psyche evaluations, it’s something we have to address and this also a compromise.” He said, glancing over his shoulder. “He is not required to know any content of our missions.” There was a hint of distrust in Coulson’s voice and both Ward and Amilee shifted, standing like opposites but identical. They could have been mirror images if it wasn’t for the obvious differences. Ward’s lips went tight as the door slid open and their newest companion made himself known. He watched Amilee from the corner of her eye, a slight frown as the colour drained from her face. She folded her arms tighter, gripping at the material tightly.   
“Agents, Sir.” Matthews spoke up, entering through the door and putting his bag down. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance after such a long time.” He held out his hand to Coulson who shook it briefly.  
“Allow me to introduce the team. Ward, Fitz-Simmons, May and-“   
“Agent Barton. We’ve already met today.” Matthews threw Amilee a friendly smile as he cut Coulson off mid introduction. Coulson frowned, and waited for Matthews to finish before dismissing the rest of the group to their duties. Coulson motioned for Amilee to stay behind, lifting his eyebrows in conversation with Ward over her head. Matthews watched this silent exchange with dry amusement, his analysis of each individual character in the group already beginning. Ward left without another word, not that he’d spoken in the first place. Following him with his eyes, Matthews waited until only Barton and Coulson remained.  
“If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like to have a chat with Agent Barton by herself, to begin-“  
“I’m still here.” Scowling at him, Amilee looked like a put out child rather than a senior agent, her frown heavy and lips turning pale.   
“I’d like to get some.” Matthews said, talking solely to Coulson as he ignored Amilee who started to grumble under her breath.  
“Don’t make me…”   
“Agent.” Coulson shook his head, a warning in itself unwanted, she had read the tone in his voice just as well. “I can’t permit you to perform any examinations, Matthews. If you are part of this team, then you have to settle in as much as the next person.”  
“Sir, you misunderstand. I mean for us to continue the appointment which Agent Barton was late for and that she bailed on.”  
“Sir…” Amilee piped up, glaring at Matthews with an ounce of contempt hidden in the pleasant tone she adopted as she spoke. Nothing was aimed at Coulson but the respect he deserved, which was everything in her reserves.  
“Barton?” Coulson sounded exasperated, tension hiking up in his voice.  
“I can do the meeting or whatever you want to call it. I guess I should have expected it.”  
“…Excellent.” Coulson and Amilee turned to look at him. Twin frowns glared at Matthews and he swallowed nervously, very aware that the two people in front of him could kill him in less than five moves.   
“I’m doing this of my own volition, Doctor Matthews, you would do well to remember that.” Amilee glanced back at Coulson, asking a question with her eyes. She waited for his commanding nod and left quickly, walking back towards the cockpit.

Matthews watched her go, frowning with confusion as Coulson gave him a stern look with an icy glare. He waited for Coulson to speak but he only pointed at the sofa. “Sit.” He said after a moment, impatience growing as Matthews ignored him and remained standing. “I asked you to do something.”  
“I thought I wasn’t part of your team.”  
“You’re not.” Coulson snapped, rounding Matthews. Matthews shrank a few inches, reeling slightly from the rage that rolled from Coulson. He was very much in command here. “You are here to do once monthly evaluations, not to make a project of one member. I don’t care how qualified you are or how qualified you aren’t, Matthews. You do not treat any member of this team with disrespect or I will have you evicted into the middle of the ocean without so much of a by your leave. Do you understand?”  
“I don’t-“  
“I said, do you understand?” Coulson’s tone had dropped, his eyes glaring.   
“Sir-“  
“Do you understand or not, Matthews?”  
“I…” Matthews paused, then swallowed. “I understand.”  
“Good.” Coulson stood back and gave him a wide smile. “I’m glad we’ve made some head way.”


	5. Chapter 5

Ward found Amilee on her way back through the ship to their room. He was surprised that Coulson was allowing it but he couldn’t help but wonder if he was expecting something from both of them, as if it was an exercise in control or even their social skills. He shrugged, then reached for the door just as she did, his hand wrapping around the door moments before hers did.  
“Barton…” He said, looking at her. Her face had remained pale, the colour was gone and he suspected it would for a while. “Barton?” A puzzled look crossed his face for a moment as she ignored him. He let move his hand and followed her in to the room. She curled up on the bed, quivering with her eyes shut. He closed the door, providing a touch of privacy although he knew full well that at any moment that Matthews guy was bound to show up.  
“…Barton?!” Ward took a deep breath, running his hand over his head as he waited for her to answer, expecting a snappy comeback. “Barton!” He dropped to his knees beside the bed, turning her over onto her back, pulling her arms gently from the clenched position.   
“…Damn it.” He looked her over, checking for any sign of injury. As he felt the shaking intensify and lips start to move in a repeated motion. Realising it was mantra, he stood, letting go and moving to the light switch. He turned the lights down low, and then moved into a comfortable position to stay beside her. “Barton, come on. It’s…” He swallowed. “It’s okay.”  
Flashing open, her eyes were wide, the whites showing although her pupils were blown wide. Ward watched over her for a few moments as she stared at him blindly. “Bart-Amilee, please. Look at me. It’s important that you look at me.” He shifted again, taking her hand in his. Ward searched her face for some recognition. There wasn’t any.  
It took half an hour for Amilee to recover from her episode, her mouth dry from murmuring her anchoring phrase when she finally came to. She found herself still on the bed, with Ward still watching intently.   
“Oh, finally.” It was sigh of relief, not frustration. He still held her hand, thumb moving in careful arcs. She just watched him, eyes fixing on his face, breathing slowly becoming easier as she matched the pace of his thumb move over her hand. Up and in. Down and out. Up and in. Down and out. He blinked, looking at her. Eyes alert with concern, he paused then allowed her to see a very small smile. “Amilee?”  
“Ward?” She frowned, trying to sit up. He stood then, pushing her back against a pile of pillows, which he’d moved from his bed to hers, propping her up carefully.  
“Barton.” He said and suddenly the spell was broken.   
“What… Why did you help me?” She frowned hard, lines etched deeply into her skin as she looked up at him. “I… I thought you hated me?”  
“How can I hate someone I’ve just met?”  
“So you’re wary?” She shuddered, still shivering. “…Can you pass me my bag… Please?” Her voice was quiet and sparse, as if she were still far away. Her eyes were vacant, the light that had been there before the doctor had made an appearance was still lost to the panic attack. It was the only thing she could ever describe it as.  
Ward made as if to speak but chose not to, silently passing her the bag before leaving. He shut the door behind him, breathing steady as he made his way down to the cargo deck where the lab was. He ignored Fitz-Simmons who were both bustling around in the room, working through some problem which he had no doubt that they would solve. Conflict was pulsing through his mind, pounding a beat in time to his heart. He walked to the opposite side of the deck and hit in a code on a concealed keypad. There was a slight buzz, and a burble of technology as the wall slid away, folding in on itself as he waited, crossing his arms again. He pulled out one of the punching bags, hoisting it on to his shoulder, pulling a chain with it. Grabbing a set of gloves, he stuffed those between his teeth as he carried the equipment to the hook which was set up. Ward sighed, attaching the bag to the hook and securing it tightly. Sneaking a look over his shoulder, he shrugged, tightening the straps of the gloves as he pulled them on. He squared up to the bag, arms raised defensively as he began to work methodically through the guided instruction. He preferred to spar alone, sticking to the book, despite his field experience telling him that the opposite would be true. He needed a partner.   
“You know… You’d work better with a partner.” Ward turned, stumbling slightly as footing gave at a jolt of turbulence. Fitz wobbled and Simmons dove forward with a dramatic screech, catching the tray of vials.   
Matthews stood, watching him from behind the barrier. He was up high and Ward bristled, the enemy didn’t usually have the advantage. Uneasy, he watched as Matthews nodded towards the punching bag. “You know you’re almost evenly matched with Agent Barton. You should ask her.”  
“I train alone.”  
“And that’s fine when you’ve been level six. But you’re level seven now, Agent Ward.”  
“I know.” He growled. “…Don’t you have reports to write up?”  
“Oh, I’m being allowed to settle in.” Matthews said brightly, walking down the stairs with an infuriating spring in his step. Ward took several steps back. There was something… Odd about Matthews. How he had just sprung out of nowhere. How he had wormed his way into his group. Ward nodded to himself. Thoughts tumbled through his head.   
“I thought you wanted to speak to Agent Barton.”  
“I do. I’m just on my way there now.”  
“You’ll want to turn around and walk back the way you came, Matthews.” He said, tone just as low. Personally, he didn’t know if it was a good idea or not. Matthews nodded, waving to Fitz-Simmons, and turning back the way he came. Ward twisted back to the punching bag, eyeing it up with a trained eye. He knew exactly where to vent his frustration  
Exploring the almost endless central corridor, Matthews found Amilee in the main meeting space.  
“Agent Barton…” He called, waiting for her to respond. She was ignoring him on purpose, her body turned and curled up. There was a steaming cup of something beside her, balanced on the arm. She picked it up, taking a long sip to avoid answering as he tried again, calling her name once more. “I know my presence is probably more of a disruption than an aid, but we must talk about what happened earlier.”  
“You mean in the lift?” She had glimpsed him out of the corner of her eye, and now she turned her torso to look him, just catching his nod.  
“Yes.” He swallowed, a touch nervously for Amilee’s liking. She was not the person she once was; there was no need for anyone to be frightened of her now. Was there? She asked herself, staring into her cup of tea.  
“You have to talk about it at some time. Am I to understand that you had an episode when you saw me again? Did I trigger it?” His voice was kind, but the tone was irritating; everybody treated her like spun glass and it made her stomach turn. She didn’t need that. She didn’t know what she needed. Giving him a slight nod, Amilee turned back, pulling her knees against her chest tighter. Her cup balanced on her knees, she shrugged as he asked to sit.  
“Do you want me to answer your question truthfully?”  
“That would help me help you.” He raised his eyebrows at her scoff, waiting for her to move into a more comfortable position.  
“It would help you write a prize winning report on a screwed up woman and her life in permanent recovery?” Amilee placed her mug on the floor, drawing her legs back.   
“No.” Matthews shook his head, replacing the pad of paper and pen in his leather satchel. “That’s not it at all, Amilee… Okay, I’ll tell you what… I’ll be honest with you first, yes?” He waited for an answer, but again she clammed up, lips pressed into a tight white line, the rest of her body tensing into a coiled spring. He knew she would snap, if anything he wanted an instinct driven reaction, he wanted her to feel something other than the permanent state of self-hate that she seemed to be sat in.  
“Agent Barton?” He tried again, moving to beside her on the sofa. She stood up, moving away from him.  
“Don’t, doctor. I really wouldn’t want to be near me at the moment.”   
He moved, following her.  
“Would you rather I talk to you somewhere else? Somewhere a little more sterile, like the doctor’s office you so loved?” He lifted his eyebrows, surprise crossing her face fleetingly as she nodded. “You don’t mean that, do you?”  
Nodding once more, Amilee let out a huff of breath and turned to face him, her hands coming to her hips.  
“Look, Doctor Matthews. You’ve read all of our files, as your code of practice at SHIELD dictates. I know you know that you are only here to monitor me. I also know that I am to be terminated if this mission doesn’t work out.” She walked out of the room and he grabbed his bag from the floor before following her back down the corridor. His footsteps echoed hers as they crossed onto the metallic floor of the main corridor, the sound harsh on his ears. She ignored it, opening one of the doors with a key code. Amilee could only hope that someone was there, listening or watching this meeting. Matthews entered after her, closing the door.  
“Now we can talk more freely without being walked in on.”  
“Do you want me to be honest with you, Doctor Matthews?” Amilee asked, sitting on the table, her feet on the interrogator’s chair. The room was cloying and claustrophobic but she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes. The wrong side of dark. Opening her eyes, the dark clawed its way into her brain, clouding her mind, making the starting flare of fire behind her eyes light up. She leapt from the table abruptly, pushing him out of the way as she scarpered towards the door. She would not have a third episode. It was too much already. Too much in twelve hours. Before all of this, she’d managed to keep them under control, until it was only the nightmares that plagued her life, causing her to live in a self-induced state of zombification which she worked around to aim towards being a half-normal functioning human being or rather, whether she liked it or not, a fully functioning agent. Amilee yanked open the door, running head first into Agent Ward who gripped her shoulders, moving her out of the way, out of the room and into the corridor. Doctor Matthews came out of the room, looking at her with concern.  
“Amilee, you need to look at me.” He ignored Ward, stepping between them. He took Amilee’s shoulders and peered down into her face. Ward stepped back, out of the situation. Distancing himself seemed like a good idea.  
“Amilee.” He heard Matthews repeat her name. “You need to think. You need to… Remember…” He moved his hands to her face as the hot tears rolled down her cheeks. His thumbs swept gently over her face, moving the tears as they fell. She shivered, and Matthews helped Amilee to sit down. “Look at me Agent Barton. She did, her irises disappearing as her pupils pressed against the edges of the colour. “It’s okay. You are okay. You are twenty eight thousand feet in the air. Not on land.. On air.” Suddenly, like nothing had happened she was back, aside from her tear stained cheeks and shaking form. Ward breathed out slowly, hackles dropping. Maybe this Matthews wasn’t such a bad guy after all. But still, he was uneasy as he looked from the pair on the floor to the interrogation room. It was standard issue, the walls in smooth dark panels. Cameras were hidden in the covered corners along with particular sensors, he knew there was at least heat, Geiger and pressure. The walls were also reinforced with steel, strengthening it from the inside out. Ward waited a moment longer, disappearing from the intimate exchange of eye contact. Amilee would be alright with the specialist, although he didn’t trust him. He was here for her, not for the rest of them. She wasn’t stable enough. She’d had two, if not three episodes in the space of one day. As far as he could tell, that wasn’t ideal.   
Amilee finished her conversation with Matthews, face gaunt despite her round cheeks.   
“…I’m glad we’ve made some headway.” Matthews smiled at her, looking her over with a small smile. “You know, if you ever need a chat…” He said, standing up as she stood, mimicking her actions.  
“If I ever need a chat, Doctor, then I will no longer be in service here.” She said, blinking up at him. Part of wished that he wasn’t so kind, that he wasn’t so… Nice to her. She was entirely undeserving, the way he spoke to her when all she’d done was, well, be rude. She didn’t mean to. It was her defence.  
“Amilee.” He laughed softly, reaching to gently touch her shoulder. It should have made her uncomfortable, like all other contact had. “…Anytime. I mean that.”  
She nodded, heading for her room, skirting the game of chess that Fitz-Simmons were in the middle of playing, heated looks on both player’s faces.  
Ward was inside, feet up and crossed at the ankles, a book held in one hand. His thumb separated the pages and he frowned, scanning the page quickly. He turned it, skipping back between pages, flicking through it.  
“Isn’t that the one where the guy gets the girl and they both live happily ever after?” She said, walking in and closing the door behind her. Ward looked up, frowning at her words.  
“Didn’t you ever get told it’s rude to just walk in a room without knocking?”  
“Unless you were having glorified alone time, where you worship your body…I’m not sure I walked in on anything.” Amilee rubbed her arms, trying to warm up. Now she’d been stood in the room for a while, her body had woken up to the iciness of the room.  
“…Fine…” Ward shook his head and sighed, turning back to his book as he tried to ignore her. She stayed where she was, looking down at him. “…What?” He asked her.  
“Sorry…” She blinked, shaking her head. “I was just checking to see if you were the same person as before.”  
“What do you mean, Barton?”  
“I mean… You held my hand.” She said after an exasperated pause. Amilee ran a hand through her hair, beginning to pace. “You took care of me.”  
“You were an agent in need.”  
“You’ve always worked alone.”  
Ward put his book down, attention diverted from its contents. “I took care of an agent, that’s all.” He growled, looking up at her. Amilee’s jaw dropped at his tone, and she stopped.  
“Look, Ward, if we have to co-habit in here, then let’s get one thing straight.”  
“What, Barton?”  
“You keep the temperature above zero and we don’t have a problem.” She quirked an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

“We have a mission.”   
“Come again?” Fitz looked from his place sat at Simmons’ feet. She curled up on one of the sofas, reading through one of the science journals. He frowned as Coulson spoke, walking in to see the team bonding. He smiled. After a week, but no missions, the team had settled into an almost domestic routine, working well around each other. It had been relatively quiet except when Ward and Amilee argued or Fitz-Simmons had a disagreement over which chemical was supposed to go where… At least that’s what Coulson though they argued about.  
“You heard me, Fitz.” Coulson looked around for the two agents who were missing. Ward appeared, a towel around his neck, hair still damp and sticking up from his shower.  
“Did I hear something about a mission?”  
“Yes.” Coulson nodded, gesturing for them to follow. “Where is Agent Barton?”  
“I’m right here.” She popped up behind him, crossing her arms across her chest. “…Sorry, I’m late?” She tried, biting her lip as she looked up at him. Coulson just smiled and lead the way, a mother duck with her trail of ducklings as he walked down the corridor to the bridge where case files had appeared on the table. Amilee stayed at the edge, able to see the door from her position.   
“Right, down to business.” He gestured at the files, and waited for them all to be opened.  
“We’re facing a new threat. Something unknown to us, unknown to the world.”  
“It’s alien?” Fitz’s face lit up as he looked at Coulson, grinning a little wildly.  
“No.” Amilee swallowed, looking for her own copy of the folder. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at the door as she caught it shutting with a quiet thud. Matthews had appeared at the back of the room, and he caught her eye, flashing her a grin. She balked slightly as Coulson said her name. Glancing around again, everyone else had disappeared, the room empty save for Coulson, herself and the now present doctor.  
“Agent Barton?”  
“Sir?”  
“You’re to stay here.” He took a step back, like she was some kind of ticking bomb. “…It’s essential that you work your way up to mission status…”  
“If it’s any consolation, it was at my request.” Matthews started speaking with a levelling look from Coulson, who took another step back, watching as Amilee rounded on the doctor.  
“Who do you think you are?”  
“Excuse me?”  
“You heard. I was deemed fit to serve, not fit to sit.”  
“You’ve had several big episodes, Amilee.” He said kindly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed, but Coulson coughed, ignoring it.  
“…And I want you to be under control.” Coulson added quickly when it looked like she would answer back.   
“I am… I am.” She repeated the words slowly the second time, checking her temper before it got the better of her. “I am, sir.”  
“Agent, I’m afraid to say you’re not.” Again, Matthews interrupted, cutting Coulson up. Coulson coughed and Matthews shot him a brief, apologetic smile. Lifting her eyebrows, Amilee stepped away from him, rubbing her arms.  
“Don’t touch me.”  
“…” Matthews hesitated, then stepped with her as she moved again. Coulson watched the dance for a moment, the partners reluctant, then put a stop to it as Amilee tensed, her shoulders tightening.   
“Doctor Matthews that is enough. Do you remember the warning which I issued you?”  
“…Of course, sir, but…” He frowned at Coulson, brow heavily furrowed as he stepped away from Amilee. She sighed, relaxing against the metal barriers that surrounded the outer pathway.   
“But nothing. This is strike one, Doctor.” Coulson took a deep breath. “You are both dismissed. Agent,” He waited for Amilee to turn, and she looked at him, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. “Next time. I promise.”  
The next time Amilee saw the rest of the group, there was a new addition. Her name was Skye and she glowered at Amilee anytime she walked past. Keeping the icy coolness to a maximum, she maintained a professional, working relationship with Skye, which was strained. It wasn’t that Amilee had a holier than thou attitude, it was that she didn’t trust Skye. Not with one ounce of her being. Ward was shifty around her, but Coulson had asked him nicely so he was following orders, like a good agent. 

Amilee sat up, eyes flashing open, body sticking to the sheets. She glanced to her left and saw wall, then to the other to see Ward back by her side. Her hand was in his, the enveloping heat from his body reaching out to warm the icy tendrils of hers. She sucked in a breath, looking at his face. His head was resting on the side of her mattress, his back bent at an awkward angle.  
“…Ward?” She lifted an eyebrow, trying to pull her hand free. As she moved, his hand tightened on hers and she lay there stuck for a moment. She tried again, pushing at his hand. “Come on, GRANT!” She remembered his name from a long distant midnight read when she hadn’t been able to sleep. He jolted awake, dropping her hand.   
“…youwereinneed.” The words dribbled from his mouth, and she chuckled softly, shaking her head.   
“How long did I sleep?”   
“You were out from about… three.” The clock beside them read five thirty. “Looks like a new record.”   
Amilee nodded, a slightly larger smile appearing on her face.   
“He will be so happy.” Her fingers wound through each other, thumbs starting to twiddle as she looked at him.   
“Ecstatic, I’m sure… are we now on first name terms?” He looked like a confused puppy, but with sleep ruffled hair and scruffy compared to his sharp suits. She liked this Ward, this human Ward. Amilee just shrugged, looking at the ceiling of the room as she exhaled slowly.   
“I guess… Would you like a proper introduction?”   
“Okay…” He said slowly, frowning as he stood up, stretching with a slight groan. Amilee smirked, then held out her hand.   
“Hi, I’m Amilee Barton and I’m a nut job who wants her old life back.”  
Ward shook it, humouring her with a smile.  
“Hi, I’m Grant Ward, and I’m a not so secret agent.” Laughing, they dropped the others’ hands and Amilee peeled the t-shirt from her skin, just noticing the cold sweat which was causing rivulets to run down her spine. “Intros aside… Grant, why did I lose two hours?”  
Ward swallowed, running his hand over the back of his neck as stood, looking down at her.  
“…You had an episode…”  
“Then I need to work it off.”  
“You were exhausted from interrogation. You walked in here, collapsed onto the bed and were out for ten minutes before you started whining.” He said, sitting down with a slight glare. “I, uh,-“  
“You took my hand and then what? I quietened down?” Amilee lifted an eyebrow, attempting to keep the light hearted atmosphere. She chewed her lip as he growled.  
“…Yes.”   
“Pardon?”  
“Yes.” Ward spoke up, looking at her. “I don’t know why you did, but you did.”   
Amilee frowned with a shrug. “Oh.  
Ward hesitated, then sat opposite her. “It doesn’t mean anything, Amilee. I was just helping out.”  
“Just helping out… Sure.” She stood, folding her arms. “…I...” She shivered, hands sliding up her arms. “I’m sorry…” She blinked, turning to leave. Ward shifted, the sound loud.   
“Amilee.”  
“Don’t. Just… Don’t.” The words echoed as she left. 

Matthews sighed, looking around his office space with a sigh. It was in his room, his bed squashed to one side so that the extra furniture, which he’d borrowed from one of the interrogation rooms, could be fitted in. Although the lack of space meant he had to shuffle everywhere and in between, he liked it, he found it made the room feel less uniform. He looked through the notes he’d started to write up after meeting with Amilee and even conversations. He’d noticed a change, a slight one, but it was there nonetheless. There was no way he could call it an improvement, she would of course name it as something else, but she was more positive than the first time he met her. Not that was exactly usual circumstance for doctor/patient relations. Yet she intrigued him, the way she had softened towards Ward. He frowned, looking back through his notes. She hadn’t approached him anymore than she had. He expected that but… But, he needed her to let him. Letting him in meant that he could help her. There was a knock at his door.  
“…Come in?” He glanced in its vague direction, returning his attention to his notes. The door closed with a click. Frowning, he looked up to see Amilee stood, hand still grasping the handle.  
“Amilee?” He put the notes down, looking over her wildly. There was no quaking, no shivering but there was a glisten of sweat. “…Are you alright?”  
She shuffled nervously, hands looped behind her, knuckles white.   
“You don’t have to stay there… Can I get you anything?”  
“…” She hesitated as he stood, making his way to the small kettle which was set precariously on a pile of books. “Um… Tea?” She frowned, the words stiff as she answered him. “…Please?”   
“Of course. Milk, sugar? None of the above?” Matthews busied himself, the chink of china on the tray harsh on her ears.   
“Um…”  
“I have coffee if you prefer.” He looked over his shoulder, smiling softly at her. “Please, take a seat.” Amilee looked around, frowning at her choices. He’d been sat in a squashy armchair, a lot like the pair that had sat in Carlisle’s office. There were a pair of straight backed, metal and plastic chairs which looked like they’d been taken from interrogation.  
Or there was the bed. She bit her lip, chewing on it as she took that option, sitting with her back against the wall.  
“Tea with milk?”  
“Uh… One sugar, please.” She rearranged her face into a slight quirk of lips, puzzlement flickering on her face as he passed her the mug. Stirring it, Amilee looked at him, still confused by his behaviour.  
“Can I help you, Amilee?” Matthews sat down in front of her, looking at her carefully. The notebook was set aside, pen placed beside it. She eyed it suspiciously.  
“My notes?” She said, pointing. Nodding, he touched the cover, his watchful gaze breaking.  
“Yes.” Matthews said, flashing the same inviting smile he had the first time they’d met. “I take it that this is not a social call?”  
“…Not exactly.” She sipped her tea to avoid speaking further.  
“Would you care to elaborate?”   
She sucked in a breath, looking him in the eye.  
“I… Every time I’ve had a nightmare, I’ve woken up.”  
“That’s usual, isn’t it?” His voice was gentle, and she took another sip, wetting her lips.  
“Yes.” Amilee nodded. “But I didn’t scream. These past few weeks, I didn’t scream.”   
“You woke up the whole aircraft a few days ago… When they brought Skye back.”  
“But just now…” She gestured to her sweat damp hair. “I had the dream.”  
“Yes, and it was the same as usual, pressing darkness, waking up in the room…”  
“Yes.” She nodded, cutting him off before he went too deep. Her lip curled as she slurped her drink, swallowing hard. “I didn’t wake up screaming.”  
“…Oh?” Matthews leant forward, and Amilee closed her eyes, shutting him out.  
“I didn’t scream… Ward…” She stopped, opening her eyes and looking at the steel grey ceiling. “Ward held my hand.”  
“So it would appear that physical touch brings you out of one of your attacks.” Matthews said. She just looked at him; was he talking to her or not? Amilee shivered again and his gaze switched back to hers. “Amilee, do you need a moment, or would you like to keep talking?”  
A shake of the head and she continued slowly.  
“Ward held my hand, I didn’t scream. I give him space, fall asleep, and brought the ceiling down.” She laughed bitterly and Matthews sat back, raising an eyebrow; he’d never heard someone sound like that before. Ever. There was something wrong.   
“Amilee?” He spoke calmly, reaching to move her cup from where it was balanced on the side. She looked up at him, her pupils dilating. Moving slowly, Matthews crouched in front of her and she leaned forward as he beckoned. Her breath escaped in juddering puffs, and closing her eyes, she felt his fingers gently brush her cheeks. Tips sliding up so that the pad of his fingers gently pressed against her temples, Matthews watched her carefully. Her fingers curled and flexed before going limp. The shuddering slowed, matching the sweep of his thumbs over her cheeks. She relaxed visibly, falling back against the wall. Waiting, he checked her over, smiling softly as she burbled happily. This was peculiar. He took his hands away. The shivering started again. He placed them back.  
He continued in that fashion for several moments, letting her relax completely. Eventually, her eyes flickered open and she looked deeply into his eyes, blinking steadily. Her gaze was caught and he leaned in, brushing stray hair away from her face. Flushing, Amilee swallowed, breath catching. Matthews smiled softly.  
“Better?”  
“…Yes.” She nodded, searching his face. “I feel better.” She shifted, but Matthews didn’t move away, staying in her space. Jaw clenching, a shiver raced down her spine. He was looking at her like no other man had, not for a long time. There was something in his eyes she recognised. Something that unnerved her. He sat back suddenly, sighing as he bit his lip.   
“We know what brings you out of them.”  
“Out of my episodes?” She asked, running a hand through her hair.  
“Yes.” He nodded, giving her a wide grin. The moment was lost, he thought, looking briefly at the floor. He glanced up to see her still watching, sitting up a little straighter.   
“…Sometimes it is as simple as a base human touch… I think it is having that warmth which reminds you that you are no longer in Budapest. Can you tell me what happened when you woke up?”  
“Woke up… Where?”  
“In Budapest.”   
At his words, she swallowed and looked away, pushing her hair from her face. “Please don’t make me do that. Please.” She faced him again, pushing herself forward so she was sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m begging you, Doctor.” Amilee bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes.  
“I don’t want to go there again.”  
“You have to. If anything, Doctor Carlisle was too soft.”  
“At least he was honest with me.” She muttered, wrinkling her nose as she stared at the floor.  
“…Tell me what happened when you woke up.”  
“I. Clint. He.” Amilee couldn’t get the words out, mentally berating herself as she tried to think things through calmly. She breathed out a sharp breath, nearly huffing as she thumped the bed.   
“Take your time, Amilee.” Matthews said, returning to sit opposite her in the arm chair.   
“No. I came to you for help. I came because you are supposed to help me.” She stood stiffly, movements jerky as she slid through his vast arrangement of furniture. “I’m never going to be honest with someone who isn’t honest with me.”  
“Then why do you work for an institution who deals in lies and deceit?”  
“Why do you?” It was the only come back she could think of. She opened the door, and exited his room, slamming it hard. The mugs rattled in their places, the kettle wobbling. He steadied it, reaching over with a hand. There had been no need for him to do any of it; he had known, deep down, that she would be unreasonable. But something inside told him that he had to keep with this, he wanted to be the one that got through to her.


	7. Chapter 7

Fitz-Simmons were back in their lab, despite the hour, working on the side project that had been given to them. They didn’t really understand it but they knew they had to isolate the ability of the reaction to contain a freezing element. Currently, they were up to their elbows, gloved to the shoulder, in a solution of ice and water. Simmons’ lips were blue as she frowned, lips pursed to the point where the skin around them was turning white.   
“I don’t know how to maintain this level, Fitz. This is nearly impossible.” Fitz grinned, looking at her over the tub.  
“What do you think would happen if we created a box with a metallic, insulating element to keep the reaction at equilibrium?”   
“What do you mean?” Jemma Simmons looked at him, lifting an eyebrow as she pulled her hands from the mixture. He copied, pulling his thick gloves from his hands and placing them down on the side.  
“Well, once exposed to the extremely low temperature, and of course adding the correct catalyst, would make the equilibrium shift to the production of the heat, keeping the mix stable and reacting to cause the production of steam, maintaining an isolated barrier between the frozen element and us.” He pointed at the tiny frozen tube they had removed, scooping some of the fiery mixture. “We take this, and then…” Fitz frowned as the mixture burst into a brief flame when it came into contact with the ice. “…Dammit.” The flame hadn’t sustained itself the reaction happening too fast. Simmons watched him for a moment longer then frowned, biting her lip.  
“Do you know what we should do?”  
“What?”  
“Try and see if we can synthesise something a little bit different. Of course, using your theory on equilibrium, which by the way is genius, but… If we increased the number of products, we increase number of reactants, correct?”  
“Yes, but we need to know the rate of the reaction. And I hate doing colorimetric calculations. They’re so time - consuming.”  
“Not if I get on with those, whilst you figure out how we’re going to keep the solution stable. They looked at each other over the table top in the lab, moving around the vat of iced water, dodging various pieces of high tech equipment which was all dressed up in high-tech carbon fibre casings, giving it the look of an operating theatre. If anything, they could do whatever they liked in that lab, and it wouldn’t matter. But right now, they focused back on their tasks, hurrying around after the answer to their problem, working in near perfect harmony unless Fitz stood on Simmon’s foot every so often.   
Amilee whipped round, blindly jabbing out with her elbow as she heard the footsteps. She saw the shadow first.  
“Easy, Amilee.” He grabbed her wrist, blocking her attack.  
“Ward.” She breathed out, closing her eyes as he looked down at her.   
“I… Uh… I wanted to apologise-“He balked slightly, letting go as she twisted away from him. “I don’t want an apology.” She shook her head, running a hand over her hair. She tightened it into the ponytail, glaring back up at him.  
“I thought...”  
“You thought-“  
“Wrong.” He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Yeah, I thought as much.”  
“And I thought you were on babysitting duty…”  
“I was.” He sighed, walking around her. “You know, you’ve got some skill… You’ve not fought against an opponent for a while.” He nudged the punching bag with his knuckles and Amilee allowed herself a small moment to appreciate the physique of the man in front of her. Despite sharing a room with him, she had never really examined him as a human being.   
“Neither have you, Mr I-Work-Alone Ward.” She lifted her eyebrows, slipping back into the beginnings of a routine SHIELD defence workout.  
“Want to change that”?  
Grunting echoed in the lowest deck and Skye frowned, creeping in, her hand clamped around the phone in her hand. She was avoiding Ward, the agent had been all over her, watching every single movement. Except for now. It had been months she had joined them, well, she wouldn’t have called it joining, rather persuaded involvement. Skye sighed, running her fingers through her hair, looking down over the barrier. She leaned too far, wobbling as she grabbed it. Cursing, she stood up, the loud clang as her knees hit the metal grid beneath her.   
“Owww.” Whine escaping as she stood, she paused, looking through the gaps to see Ward and Barton locked in a tight embrace. Frowning, she watched for a moment, wincing as Barton landed on her back. “Why does she enjoy that?!”   
“Ooph.” Amilee landed, standing up with stiffness racking up her spine. She clasped Ward’s arm tightly, but let it go as quickly as she could. “…I’m going to need arnica.”  
“You’re out of practice.” He said simply, looking her over as she took a step back. Amilee just shrugged, looking up at him with a slight smile.  
“I’m not the one you’re supposed to be training.” She lifted an eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes.  
“You asked.”  
“I wanted a break, I didn’t expect you to turn up, Grant.” Amilee shook her head, returning to a defensive position, her hands raised.   
“Amilee…” 

From her mountain top position, Skye could see them as Ward adopted the same position as Amilee, gravity set low. She watched as Amilee held fast against his lunge, his arms grabbing around her waist. Amilee brought her knee up but he blocked it. She yelped. His hand clasped around her calf, her back bending as he lifted her up. Ward smirked ever so slightly as she grabbed his calf. Arching her back further, she pulled him out from under her, twisting away as he loosened his grip. Her foot came around, swinging at his head. Ward grabbed it but her hands were quick, jabbing at his chest and stomach. She knelt on him, knee placed on his sternum. If she leaned forward with all of her weight, she would break it, possibly puncturing his lung. Breathing hard with exertion, Amilee pulled back, sweat starting to glisten on her forehead. Skye sucked in a sharp breath and both agents looked up, eyes flicking from corner to corner as they scanned for the disturbance. Ward took a deep breath in and sighed, rolling his eyes.  
“Get down.” He yelled, and sheepishly, she walked towards them with her head bowed. She paused, unable to look Amilee in the eye as she reached them. Skye kept her head down and Amilee ignored them.   
“..S’up, Ward?” She looked at him and grinned, blanking Amilee for a moment. “Agent…”  
“We’ve not met.” Amilee said, waiting for Skye to look at her.  
“Briefly.”   
Oh. Amilee nodded as she remembered, digging through the memories. It had been a couple of nights ago, after the brief soiree on land, and Amilee had had a nightmare. She hadn’t been in her room, having dozed off on the sofa, book on the floor. A scream had escaped just as Skye was passing through the room, trying to sneak to her bedroom. Amilee had snapped at her to leave, ignoring all of Skye’s attempt to help her.   
“Are you a surname girl or can we be on first name terms?” Skye asked and Ward looked at Amilee. He’d had to control the urge to move at the scream but apparently, professional opinion overruled him. She was supposed to deal with it herself. Amilee nodded, trying to form a smile from her lips.  
“Yeah. Um. Sure.” She walked around Skye, picking up her towel which was folded neatly beside Ward’s. Passing it to him, she shot a smile in his direction then turned back to Skye with a small smile. “Hi, I’m Amilee, and I’m the token nutcase.”  
“Hi, I’m Skye, and I’m the computer hacker.” Skye reached out to shake her hand but Amilee held her towel tightly.   
“Uh, I’m a bit gross.” She shrugged, wiping the back of her neck. She sidestepped the other girl, biting her lip as she looked back at them. “I’m sure you guys have some catching up to do. I’ll leave you to it.”


	8. Chapter 8

Ward charged down the corridor, chasing after Amilee who darted around the corner. She flattened herself against the wall, trying to blend in as she sucked her ribs in. He missed her completely, sprinting straight past  
“Agent Barton!” Ward yelled, stopping at the next little junction. He looked left and right, then turned back to face the way he came, pausing on the other side of the corner. Taming his breathing, he stood still, crossed his arms and waited. Amilee poked her head out and checked quickly in his direction, then the other, diving back as she heard voices from the direction which her pursuer had stopped. She could hear the voices clearly, and she smirked as she heard him blabber to Coulson about something.

“We’ve got another mission, Ward”  
“We do, sir.”  
“Yes.” Coulson nodded, looking at the agent who was stood, leaning in what he thought was a nonchalant way. He shook his head, fighting the urge not to say something about the fact that Ward’s target was only metres away. “You and Agent Barton will be taking the lead on it. I hope it’s not a problem.”  
Ward frowned. Coulson had walked him down to the junction and he was trying to stretch, looking past the older man, down the corridor as he saw Amilee’s hair flick out and around the corner.   
“Dammit.”  
“Pardon, Ward?”  
“Um… Nothing, sir. Honestly, nothing at all.”   
“Too many nothings.” Coulson sighed, crossing his arms as his weight shifted. “Would you like to try again, agent?” He lifted an eyebrow, weight shifting back as Ward took a moment to answer.  
“Agent Barton and I had a slight disagreement over…” Ward sighed, gritting his teeth as he looked past Coulson.  
“You and Agent Barton had a disagreement over what?” He lifted an eyebrow, shifting again. “Please, take your time.”  
“We… We had a disagreement over whose turn was to get beaten up.”  
Coulson flinched as Amilee appeared beside Ward, speaking in front of him.   
“I was sick of being a punching bag, so I decided to run away.” She grinned at Coulson, elbowing Ward subtly, but not enough as Coulson coughed.  
“If anything, I’m glad you’re here. Barton, you and Ward have a new mission.”  
“…What?”   
“You will be going undercover for the next few days.” Amilee frowned, looking at Coulson who had a smile behind his eyes.  
“Sir, can we talk about this is in a more appropriate setting?”   
“I thought the bridge was off limits.”  
“Why would that be?” Coulson looked at Ward, raising the other eyebrow. They lowered slowly and Amilee bit her lip. “Because is this not a whole team mission?”  
“You were interfered with, Barton.” Ward muttered, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead her fists clenched, and she stood a little straighter.   
“What do you mean, Ward?”   
“Agents…” Coulson growled, the sound suddenly harsh as both looked at him instead of each other. “Briefing room. Now.”  
Reaching the briefing room, Amilee took a seat and Ward stood behind her, but a little way apart. The distance was obvious when Coulson walked in, coughing to get their attention, both caught up in their own little world. He slapped two files down onto the table, pushing each towards their respective owners. Amilee scooped up both, passing it back to Ward who’d already walked around the table. He took it with a grumbly murmur of thanks.   
“This is important. For all of us. This mission could keep us in the air, but the failure could mean permanent grounding.” Amilee sucked in a breath as she opened the file, eyes scanning the first part. The words jumped out at her and she swallowed, the breath she held hissing out between her teeth. Ward let out a low whistle.   
“Sir, we’re not ready for this sort of action.”  
“…We barely know each other.” Amilee stood up and Coulson smirked, a little to himself. They were mimicking each other, right down to the expressions on their faces.  
“As you know we’ve been monitoring a potential ‘bomb’ threat at the Grand Hall opening ceremony in New York. The Governor is reluctant to let us near it, as is the Grand Council. But..” He held up a hand, stopping protests from both parties. “To quote Director Fury, the council made a stupid ass decision and as such he’s decided to ignore it.” Amilee smirked, biting her lip as she looked at Ward who didn’t laugh. She stopped, swallowing back the nerves.  
“Read through the files. The reason we’re going will become apparent. We need two agents in the actual vicinity, and back up will be available. You’re to be a couple, attending the ceremony. Once inside, you’ll establish a link with Skye who will be able to detect where the ‘bomb’ is. Amilee, I’m counting on your knowledge to evacuate if worst comes to the worse. We are in communications with the NYPD, just in case. We cannot afford to let the enemy know where are or that we are even aware.”  
“But sir, if it’s a bomb threat, then surely, we need to evacuate the area and get the squad in early.”   
“No.” Amilee shook her head, looking from Coulson to Ward and back again, eyes asking for permission to speak. She shifted forward, then stood up, heading for the giant screen behind Coulson. “Can we patch through the floor plans of the Hall?” Coulson nodded, tapping the screen. “Skye, can you get down to the briefing room, you’ve been requested.” Skye barrelled through the door, landing in a sprawl with both Fitz and Simmons completing the sandwich.   
“I thought you were in the lab…”  
“We were.” Fitz smiled with a shrug, getting up and dusting himself off. “But then we heard you and Ward arguing about something… OW!” Simmons had elbowed him sharply, appearing prim and proper. No one had seen her arm even move, let alone make contact.   
“There was a heated discussion about what was going to happen at the next training session. Nothing to do with you, Fitz.” Amilee snapped, turning to them. She took a deep breath as Ward folded his arms.   
“Sir, we know they’re going to be joining us, why keep them in the dark about it?”  
Coulson sighed, clenching his jaw as he looked up to see Melinda join them. She frowned, then shrugged at the people sprawled on the floor.   
“Coulson. We’ve got problems.”  
“What kind of problems?” Coulson massaged his shoulder, looking at each member of his team.  
“I wouldn’t call it entire team… Uh, listening.” She gestured to the outside corridor. “A word?”  
Coulson nodded, walking out of the room as he followed her.   
“Stay here.” He pointed at them all, then shut the door.   
“What do you mean problems?”  
“…I mean this…” She pulled out her tablet, bringing up the footage of Amilee and Matthews in his room. Coulson frowned, rewinding and pausing it at the point where he was holding her face.   
“Who else has seen this?”  
“…Ward. He was going through old security tapes, just for interrogation purposes. I didn’t realise we looked in on intruders in this way, Phil.”  
“He insisted that his room become his office. He stole some furniture from interrogation. I should have said something about the other equipment going in there as well.” Coulson watched the play out again, muttering under his breath. He looked at Melinda and they sighed in tandem. “It’s not allowed to happen. Not at all.” Eyes stern, he looked at her, brows raised just enough to emphasise his point. “I knew it was a bad idea having that doctor on board.” Coulson rubbed his forehead. “He needs to go.”  
“Will she cope if he does?”  
“She is coping, isn’t she?”   
Melinda sighed, scrolling to another camera, this one in the cockpit.  
“She willing comes and sleeps beside me, but only in catnaps of half an hour at a time. She doesn’t talk about Budapest, not even to me…”  
“Melinda…” Coulson reached out, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You care about her, I know you do. But she’s not let anybody in about this. Not even her brother, and you know how close those two are… At least, how close they were back in the day. She’s not going to open up about that to just anybody.” Melinda nodded, taking a breath.   
“So what do we do about Doctor Matthews?” Her lip curled around the word, the rest issuing out in a near snarl.   
“I don’t know, honestly, I don’t know. I think we just keep an eye on him for a moment. The only reason he’s here is because Director Fury couldn’t overrule the medical profession and the grand council. That, and she wasn’t stable enough back then. Now, she’s been okay… And I’ve noticed a change in her behaviour towards Ward and the rest of the team. Actually, she’s been good for him if anything.”  
“Yes…” Coulson looked back at the door. “They’re listening.”  
“I know.”  
“Shouldn’t we give them something to listen to?” Melinda folded her arms, stepping back as she looked at him. Coulson laughed, giving her a slight shake of his head.  
“They have enough to be getting on with.” He knocked the door sharply, and there were a few yelps, and several stumbles. The thud told them that Fitz had found the floor. With a slight air of command, he opened the door, standing with Melinda just behind his shoulder.  
“…Are we going to finish this briefing, ladies and gentleman?”  
A slow trickle of answers passed around, accompanied with varying degrees of enthusiasm.  
He just laughed, looking at each of them in turn.  
“So, do we get to know who?” Ward had placed his file back on the table, straightening it in line with Amilee’s.   
“It would help to know what we’re supposed to bringing in, sir.” She said, glancing back at Ward, who, to her surprise, was nodding in agreement. Tentatively, she opened the file to part way through, and pointed at the last couple of paragraphs. “That’s it?.. Sir?”  
“That’s all we have, which is why you will be going in armed.”  
“Armed, sir?” Ward piped up, looking at Coulson who nodded.  
“Yes, Ward. Both you and Amilee will be going in armed. We don’t know how hostile this situation will get.”  
“Why did you need us, sir?” Tentatively stepping forward, Simmons bit her lip, looking from Coulson as he walked into the room. He tapped the screen, letting it burst into life in a myriad of colour and a babble of noise.  
“Because this is a team operation.” He said, looking at the screen. “What we do know is this…” He gestured to the pieces of information which came flying up, then across the screen as he flicked it with his fingers. “…Can we move the files…” Again, Amilee beat Ward, scooping his up and passing it over her shoulder. His fingertips just brushed her shoulder, and shivered, an almost imperceptible twitch. The information was spread across the table, filling up the larger space. Everyone crowded round to look, except Melinda who had slipped back to the cockpit to keep them in the air. “Thank you.” Coulson glanced up at each of them and slid a large file onto the screen. He scrolled half way down, then enlarged and copied it, throwing it across to different people.  
“Can everybody see a copy?”  
“…Yes.”   
“Good, right. This is the Grand Hall.” A picture of the elegant building appeared behind him. There were the classic high French style windows, copied with slightly shadowed glass, hiding the interior. The doors were aged, modern frosted glass, however, gave away the building’s true age.  
“That’s in New York.”  
Coulson nodded, looking almost wistfully at the picture behind for a few moments longer than necessary. It was long enough for one of the people gathered to cough and catch his attention.  
“Yes. We know that there is a potential threat within in the next three of four days, you all need be primed and ready. We should reach New York in the next few hours.”  
“We have a matter of hours to learn a brief, sir?”  
“…Not quite. A matter of days.” Coulson looked at Ward, sliding another file over to him. Ward flicked down it, skim reading as he absorbed the information. Swallowing, he looked up at Coulson, shaking his head.  
“You can’t send us in there. It will be too dangerous.”  
“You are mistaken.” Coulson pulled the file back towards him, shutting it down as he saw Skye tilt her head, trying to get a read. “This mission will go ahead, Ward. There’s nothing we can do.”  
“But…”  
“No buts. You are all ready. All of you. All of you will do your best.”  
“What’s happening if it’s a matter of days?” Skye asked, looking at the files. She flicked through them, stopping on the one with classified information. She hesitated, biting her lip as she looked around the room. “What is this?” A frown passed over her face. “Exothermic chemical trajectory pathways?”  
“…It’s a fancy term for an explosion using combustion and fuel to produce a large outburst of heat and most likely destruction.” Fitz interjected, frowning slightly. He tilted his head at the equations on the table. “But… These are the ones we’ve been working. It’s used for creating a containment unit, using the exothermic pathways to maintain a stasis around frozen matter.”  
“…Are we fighting a bomb threat, sir?” Simmons’ jaw dropped as she looked at Coulson who shook his head, giving up on lying to the team. They deserved better than that, despite their clearance levels. They’d be able to do more if they were kept in the light and to be honest, he did owe them. All of them were brilliant, no matter how much he trusted, or did not trust, them.  
“No. We’re looking for this…” He had hoped to keep this from them, but he pulled up the video onto the screen. The image was paused, apparently midway through the film. A man was blasting something from his skin. It looked ice, the streams of pale blue, nearly translucent strands were blasting out of his hands. From the looks of the people, there were evident screaming, children caught up in the attack. Several were found face down or on their backs, blue patches on their stomachs or backs.   
“This footage was taken a year ago on a camera phone.” Coulson explained as he pressed play. The sound was muted, hiding the terror from the rest of the team. “Simmons, are you alright?”  
Her face was pale, and her breathing was catching in her throat as she watched. Fitz stood close, swallowing down a cough as the camera panned round, showing more of the destruction. One of the houses was missing a wall, the bricks stripped, frozen into piles on the floor. The pan continued, crackling as the lens moved forward with a bit of wobble. The man looked up, straight at them. Amilee flinched. She knew those eyes.   
“Do we have any more footage, sir?” She asked, diverting his attention for the moment to distract Coulson. “Anything at all?” She said as he shook his head.   
“Nothing?” Ward said, lifting his eyebrows. “So we know nothing about him, sir?”  
“No… We’re doing this blind.”  
“We’ve not done anything one hundred percent blind before, sir.” Amilee frowned, looking at the rest of the team, all of them sitting slowly into chairs. Fitz remained standing, looking at Ward for his example.   
“We need to keep the world safe. There are people who would kill for something like this.” She said, speaking up as Coulson remained silent. “You are all good people.” She looked at Skye. “You’ve also all got the skills that could render someone speechless. We have got this down, blind or not. I’m not comfortable with blindness but why not learn how to deal with it now? We’ve got each other and that’s all we need.”  
“Are you sure will be able to cope?” Skye said, looking at Amilee with something that resembled pity. Amilee narrowed her eyes. “I mean…” She swallowed, biting her lip as the agent stared her down. Neither one moved or spoke as they looked at each other.   
“It’s fine, Skye.”  
“I didn’t-“  
“I said, it is fine.” Amilee stood up, looking at Coulson, then Ward. “Where will the rest of the team be?”  
“We will have a set up in the hotel across the street. The Grand Hall itself is both accommodation and venue for the event.”  
“How do we know all of this, if we don’t know anything, sir?” Ward frowned, looking from the screen to the notes.   
“And how is this blind?”  
“We know nothing of the man himself aside from the footage here.” Coulson waved his hand blindly behind him, swallowing. “He could be anything or anyone. There was this one event and then he disappeared, but we received a tip off about similar activity, an overhaul of ice crystals a couple of months back… He’s supposed to be attending.”  
“So are we blind or not?!” Amilee glared, growling out the words as she looked at him. Coulson stared back, folding his arms.  
“Drop the tone, agent.” There was a deadly silence. “You are here as part of the team, not solo. Barton, you’d do well to remember that.” Her stomach sank, leaving a hollow feeling in her chest. Her heart followed, filling the space. This wasn’t like him.  
Searching his face, Ward shifted uneasily behind her. He moved to her shoulder, his hand closing over it. She shifted, edging back towards him and he scooted in front of her.   
“Sir, may I interject?”  
“Yes, Ward.” Coulson nodded, watching Amilee as Ward took another step.   
“What is our plan of attack?”  
“Right, yes.” Coulson focused back on the table, which flashed up the same set of files again. He hit pause on the screen behind him, and Amilee stepped back from group even further. “The plan is for Agents Ward and Barton to be our eyes and ears within the building. You’ll stay in a suite for the couple persona which has been pieced together for them. We expect you to do what is necessary but nothing which is too necessary.” He smirked and Ward felt partially forgiven, smiled. Skye gave a short bark of laughter, watching Amilee’s lips curl into an almost smile. Nobody caught the hand that Ward held up behind his back, stopping her from moving any further. She stayed where she was, features fixed into an expression which would be classed as neutral. Inside, she was bubbling with anger, and it did threaten to spill over.   
“That aside, we will be watching everything that happens to you, ready to provide back up if necessary. We’re hoping for you to apprehend the person of interest without any disturbance whatsoever to the event. SHIELD are adamant that his identity be kept secret and not revealed.” He glanced at Skye who shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Once inside, you’re going to establish the coms link Skye and us in the rooms we’ll have opposite the Grand Hall. We have the whole building.” Coulson paused, looking at Grant and Amilee. “If you two are found out, it could mean half of New York being rebuilt again, and we can’t afford it, so please don’t break the city.”  
“We’ll stay away from all major landmarks, sir.” Ward said, nodding.  
“So, just to clarify, sir,” Amilee said, tone completely respectful but cool and removed. “We’re doing an intel sweep with connectivity via earpiece and bugs as well as visual aid but… We don’t know who we’re looking for?”  
“You’ll know him when you see him.” Coulson looked at her and she looked at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. He had this effect on her, an effect on her which made her feel a little bit smaller.   
“Okay. Once happens when we’ve got him?” She asked, looking at the floor plans. “Are we meeting the back up in the underground shared refuse area?”  
“Yes.” Coulson nodded, tapping to bring up a 3D plan. “We have three, maybe, four days. The event ends in five. You have one day to perfect your cover, to learn it by heart.”  
“Sir, what’s our directive then?” Simmons looked at Fitz, who nodded, glancing at Coulson. “You’re needed to help with containment. The person we’re looking for has these icy properties, we need a way of containing the blast without injuring. You’ll be working on a way to do this, together. Skye, you’ll be recording and doing some hacking to cameras and the security network to keep an eye on Agents Barton and Ward so that we know what’s happening if coms is down or unavailable. We’re blind, but you will not be alone.”  
“No, sir.”   
“Right, we have three hours. Pack and we’ll see each other on the ground.” Coulson dismissed them.  
Matthews opened his eyes as he heard the tramp of feet go past his door. There had been a team meeting? He laughed bitterly, not entirely surprised that he hadn’t been called. Obviously, something was up as he heard heated voices between Ward and Barton as they passed, lagging behind the others. He stood beside the door, pressing his ear against it to listen to the conversation as they paused. They continued, Amilee striding away as she argued with Ward about their… Their cover. He nodded, laughing again as he turned. That had been a bit of an oversight on Coulson’s part, he thought. Amilee harboured feelings, Matthews was sure about it, but he wasn’t entirely sure who for. He sighed, rubbing his temples as he slumped back into his armchair. A tremor passed through his hands and he growled, the sound ripping from his chest.  
“No.”   
His hands dropped to the arms of chair, nails digging deep into the fabric, leaving dark depressions. Matthews looked up at the door, praying it wouldn’t open.   
“Never again.” He murmured, making a promise to himself. “Never again.”


	9. Chapter 9

The plane had landed and the team were going over last minute checks, making their last adjustments before heading into the centre of the city. The others were due to before Amilee and Grant, so they were holding back. Sat in their room, Ward looked over at Amilee, who was laying on her back, folder held above her head as she read, deeply absorbed in the content.   
“…How are we going to play this?” She looked up at his words and frowned.  
“I’m sorry?” She rolled onto her side and lifted an eyebrow. “…Oh…” She nodded, letting out a long, deep breath. “We’re going to play this like we’re supposed to. A loved up socialite couple who are so deeply involved with each other, we’re rarely seen alone.”  
“Right… Are you sure we can cope with that?”   
“Sure.” Amilee shrugged, looking at him with a soft smile, a gentle curve of her lips. Ward lifted his eyebrows, as if seeing her for the first time. She was fairly pretty, full lips, crystal clear eyes, styled but practical hair. “It’s just cover, War… Grant.”  
“Those are the names in the files?”  
“Yes.” She nodded, lifting up the other eyebrow. “Did you even read the folder?”  
“No, I’ve decided that I’m going to wing it.”   
“Alright, geez, give a girl a break.” She sat up and hugged her knees, resting her chin on them.  
“How do we know we have this covered?” He asked, watching her chew her lip, rolling it between her teeth as she thought carefully.  
“We quiz each other.”  
“I don’t want to…”   
She gave her best, persuasive puppy dog eyes, just refraining from sidling up to him.  
“Come on, W-Grant. We need to have this or we get chucked out of there before we’ve even started.” Amilee ran her fingers through her hair, teasing a couple of knots out.  
“Right then.” Ward said, eyes dropping to his file. “I’ll start.”   
“Go for it.” She lifted her eyebrow, a twitch of a challenge.  
“How long have we been dating?”  
“Three years and I’m waiting for you to pop the question.”  
He lifted an eyebrow, then shook his head, checking the file. “That’s not in the notes.”  
“Yeah, but it adds a bit of spice, don’t you think?” Amilee smiled and his nostrils flared briefly.   
“Right. Where do we live?”  
“We have three houses, well, a penthouse in New York, a house in Miami and a town house in London. I am a socialite darling who was previously hidden from the world until I was chosen a suitable suitor, which is you.” She pointed, rolling her eyes as she gave a quick glance at the page. “Well… We hit a rocky patch after you supposedly cheated on me, but if anything with the suppressed media storm which would have ruined any of your business prospects, that little incident brought us closer together.”  
“So, we’re very hands on?” His nose wrinkled and he growled out a cuss under his breath. Amilee paused, lip clamped in her teeth as she tried her hardest not to laugh.  
“Ap- Apparently.” She lost it, collapsing into a fit of giggles. After several moments, Ward leaned over and poked her.  
“Barton…” His lips wobbled, wiggling as he tried to hold them together. He jabbed at her ribs as she twisted and she gave a shriek of laughter. “…You’re ticklish?”  
“Ar-Aren’t you?” She lifted an eyebrow and smirked, pushing him away from her. “…Don’t try anything or I will break your fingers and make it look like an accident.”  
“Really?” His eyebrows twitched and she swallowed nervously. Ward set down his folder and Amilee looked at him, mirroring his motions. He moved slowly as he stood up and walked the three foot between their beds.  
“Yes.” She glared up at him, eyes narrowing as they flicked between his hands, chest and face, mapping every movement cautiously. “What are you going to do… Ward?” She moved, just as he lunged, and darted from the bed into the gap. He twisted at last moment, hand shooting out to grab her leg. He pulled her back towards him and she squealed, the noise turning into a grunt as she tried to throw him off. Ward smiled, fingers ghosting over her ribs, keeping up the relentless torture. “O-o-okay… Gr-Grant. Com-come on… Stop… Ju-just stop!” He took a pause for breath and looked down at her, tucking her hair behind her ear. She licked her lips, blinking as her breathing slowed. He hovered above her, swallowing hard. His weight was supported on his forearm, one of which was beside her head. Flush appearing on her cheeks, Amilee breathed evenly, suddenly feeling hot. Ward leaned in a little more, lips inches from hers. She could feel his breath on her face and she closed her eyes.   
“…Grant.” She breathed, hands fisting in the sheets. “Please…”  
He sat back, still straddling her and she slid out from under him, knees providing a barrier as she drew them to her chest. Her arms wrapped around them, pulling herself away from him in all sorts of ways. Ward looked at her, falling back to sit with crossed legs. He reached for her folder, picking it up.  
“Let’s continue?” He said it as if nothing had happened but surely he’d felt something too. Amilee pondered, answering the questions like it had been her life. They switched eventually, Grant becoming the student as Amilee flicked through his folder. They would have to be ready. The team was counting on them.   
“…I think we have this.” Amilee nodded, biting her lip as she gave a last scan of the page. “We should finish up, get under cover.”  
“Ooh, Grant, I thought you’d never ask…” She smirked, eyes flashing as she caught his eye and his eyes darkened, the look he gave her triggering the hairs on her neck to stand up.   
“You never know.”

Matthews frowned, listening at the door. He’d been hoping to talk to Amilee one last time before she hit radio silence on this mission. Would she think herself ready? Would the company think her ready, was he ready to let her go to the big wide world? He took a step back as the door opened and Ward stood there, looking him in the eye. He wore a look of contempt, and stepped past him, shoulder deliberately knocking Matthews’. He was carrying a sports bag and Amilee appeared in his wake, a similar bag slung over her shoulder. She frowned, staring into his eyes as he trapped her gaze with his.  
“Are you sure you want to do this, Amilee?”  
“Yes.” She made to move past him, but he blocked her way. “…I have somewhere to be, Matthews...”  
“I’m sure we can be professional and human, I have a first name.”  
“And it’s not protocol for me to know that, Doctor.” Growling, she snapped out the words and made to move forward, but again he stood in her way.  
“Yet you know your fellow…” Matthews bit his lip and sighed, shaking his head. He moved for her, finally getting out of the way so that she could leave. “…Do you know what’s happening?”  
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you even if I could, Matthews.”  
“Amilee. I’m asking you nicely.”  
“And I’m telling just as politely. Right now, that’s a struggle.” She bristled, standing up straighter. She mentally cursed her height, refraining from standing on tiptoes. “Look, Doctor Matthews, as good a man as I’m sure you are, I am not allowed by contractual law tell you what happened in the meeting room. You have no levelled access to that information. I am not your project, you have no hold over me. I came to you a few nights ago because I trusted you but if you keep pressing me for information, then that trust will break of disappear, as of yet, I am unsure which option it is.”  
Matthews looked, following her eye line as she looked for her partner, in more senses than one, now at least. When he wasn’t forthcoming, Amilee returned her attention to Matthews who was breathing deeply, trying calm the temper that had risen at her words.  
“Amilee, please don’t break something so tenuous. I’m trying to help.” He stepped forward, hand sliding round to cup her neck and she swallowed, moving back against the wall. He pressed his mouth against her gently, a soft pressure against her mouth. Everything about him chilled her to the bone, even the touch of his lips on hers. The intimacy was lost on her as Amilee pushed at Matthews, fighting as she shoved at his chest, his hand was cupping her cheek, thumb sweeping gently as he tried to calm her but she was having none of it; her hands raised and she punched him in the gut. He stumbled backwards.   
“…What?”  
“Don’t you dare!” Amilee yelled, shoving at him as he made to touch her again. “Don’t you dare touch me.”   
“Amilee.”  
“No. You don’t get to call me that any longer. You don’t deserve that.” She ran her fingers over her lips, the taste of him lingering there. Her stomach rolled and she looked away from him, breathing deeply. She closed her eyes, hands splayed against the cold wall.  
“Amilee, you need to calm down.” Her eyes flicked back to his, pupils wide. “No. Don’t go there. Stay here, come on now.” He cupped her face and she didn’t pull away, staying stock still as little shivers starting to race down her spine and limbs. They weren’t as solid as before, feeble attempts as she kept fixated on his eyes. “Stay.” Matthews leaned in, lips brushing her forehead gently. She shivered, not from the cold. His touch was cool, she’d never noticed it before, how comforting it was to have the ice in middle of the inferno.  
“What…?!” Ward had stepped around the corner, catching Matthews in the act of his gentle embrace. Amilee drooped back, breathing heavily. There had been no screaming, no blood or fire, no darkness.   
“What do you think you’re doing, Matthews?” He stormed over, looking at both of them. His arms were already across his chest, but he dropped them down, looking at Matthews, his hands curled into fists. He twisted away from the physician, looking at Amilee who still had her eyes closed. “Barton… Amilee?” He gently touched her shoulder, fingers sliding down to touch her wrist. Her fingers met his, curling around them tightly.  
“Ward?” She frowned slightly. “…Grant?”  
“Amilee?” His face was like hers, frown deepening with every passing second. “What happened?”  
“I-I don’t know.” She murmured, biting her lip, looking up at him. “…I’m not ready.”  
A wince jumped through his body as she grasped his hand tightly. His circulation restricted, Ward felt the tingles slide up his arm.  
“Easy, Amilee.” Ward dropped to a crouch, following her as she nearly collapsed to the ground. “Hey…” He cupped her cheek and she blinked. “Hey.”  
“H-Hey?” She tried, blinking hard enough to screw up her eyes. She tried so hard not to lean into his touch, but the heat was so attractive, so enticing that she let herself go. “Grant.”  
“Barton.” He pulled his hand away and the heat went with him. She shivered, pulling herself up, despite the hand he offered her. He followed, looking back for Matthews.   
“Where did he go?” He lifted an eyebrow, looking all around. “And… Never mind.” He picked her bag up from where it had fallen to the floor, frowning as she still shook a little bit, her figure suddenly tiny, clothes baggy around her frame. Ward waited for her, before walking away, strides long, covering the ground with ease. He stopped again, shoulders slumping with a brief sigh.  
“Come on, Barton.” She nodded, hurrying to catch up as he turned on his heel again, walking into the main room. The plane was too quiet now, her footsteps echoing back like ghostly, lonesome clangs.


	10. Chapter 10

Amilee swallowed, looking back at the plane as the door shut behind her, sealing off the life she’d known for such a short space of time. Her breath caught and she clenched her fists, turning to face Ward who had chucked her bag in the back of the sleek black car which they were taking to the back entrance of the Grand Hall. They were silent, no words passing between them. Ward twisted away from her in the car, hands clasped in his lap, looking out of the tinted windows. The car left the airport quickly, travelling through busy streets. For some unknown reason, there were no red lights, all of them green as they sped through, missing all of the jams, cutting across them instead of joining them. The streets disappeared, taking them through some farmland towards an elegant manor house that had been built in as part of a complex which had never been completed. It was built long and wide, not particularly tall, but at least four or five floors. It was like an English country house, it was just a shame that the view was ruined by the buildings surrounding it. Amilee licked her lips. She was glad of the journey; it gave her tie to think about what had happened before, with Matthews. He’d kissed her and she didn’t understand why. There had been no reason, they’d been arguing, fighting. And then… Pop. She shifted, running her fingers over her lips once more, remembering the touch. She licked them, unlike before, there was no taste, no memory. Had it really been that bad? Did she really think that it was such a terrible thing? Granted, he could have asked and she would really have loved to have been asked out but then, it’s not like they were thirty thousand feet in the air. She yawned, jaw stretching, and slumped forward, head resting on the glass. It was pleasant cool, like he’d been during her episode. He was so cool, to the touch, and in temperament. Was there a slight possibility that she was interested? She would say yes. But nothing could happen, not even between them. Not ever. He was her doctor, and that was how it would stay. She glanced over her shoulder at Ward, looking him up and down. He was dressed how he thought he should for his character. It was no different to the casual wear he dressed in during their downtime on ship. Plain and ever so black, they fitted well and looked expensive, although on an agent’s pay, even an agent at level seven, they were sure to not be. To be honest, she had taken a similar line with her clothing, dressing down but trying to exude the natural classiness with which they had now to act. They matched, although she had dressed down, maybe a little bit too much. He was in a long sleeved polar neck which zipped at the throat with black jeans and smart, polished shoes. He wore a blazer over the top, looking every part the young professional. She didn’t quite meet it; her own outfit was a navy hoody, paired with tight skinny jeans and a pair of low heeled boots. There had been a brief stop, back on the heli-carrier, to collect additional equipment more clothing. Amilee frowned, catching him shift in the rear view mirror. She frowned, biting her lip as she watched him for a few moments. There was more silence, the tension rolling from him in waves. He caught her gaze for a moment, then settled himself again. Amilee closed her eyes, head pounding with thoughts which threatened to spill. She heard him sigh deeply, and she shifted, stomach clenching as they dropped over the rise of a hill.  
“We have arrived.” Their driver said and Amilee lifted her head to glance at Ward. She looked around. They were in the underground car park of the Hall, the breeze blocks clear. Ward exited first, walking around to her side, opening the door. He offered her his hand and she took it, biting her lip as her eyes flicked up, glimpsing the tight expression on his face. Their bags would be taken up to their room by the drivers who had strict orders. Coulson had been thorough. As they’d flown, everyone had heard him make several hurried phone calls to Director Fury and Agent Hill, still planning meticulously as the time for the operation rushed towards them.   
“Grant…” She looked up at him, squeezing his hand gently. His head turned to look at her and she smiled softly up at him. “It’ll be okay.” Licking her lips nervously, she pulled him towards the lift, striding along, leaving the car behind them.   
“…I know.” He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear as several people exited the lift, just as she pushed the button. She pulled him into the lift, hitting the button for reception and the lifts to the rooms. They’d seen the floor plans, copies imprinted into their brains. It was six feet from the lift to desk and eight from the desk to the lifts, ten if they were going to take the stairs.   
“Are you feeling okay?”   
Amilee nodded, letting go of his hand to slide her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.  
“Uh-huh…” She leant her head on his shoulder as he slowly put his arms around her. “…We’re supposed to be hands on.” She whispered, pretending to kiss his cheek. He paused, breath catching.  
“There are no cameras in here.”  
“How do we know?” She pulled back to look at him, licking her lips. His eyes dropped to them and he swallowed nervously.   
“I suppose we don’t.” Resettling herself against his side, head back on his shoulder, Amilee smiled as he kissed her hair gently.   
“We’ll get settled, then we can have a chat. Make a couple of calls?”   
He nodded, letting go as the lift doors opened. Holding her hand tightly, he headed for reception, letting go to pull out ‘his’ credit card. The floor was checkerboard in red marble and white, the swirls lining up between the faceted flooring. Above them were several ornate chandeliers, large enough to throw rainbows onto the warm cream walls, the colour soothing around the hubbub of activity. There were still couriers delivering products for the events ahead, workmen trying not to look to conspicuous as they traversed, tracking dust and mud onto the floors. Mirrors were lining the walls, reflecting the shine and gleams back and forth. In muted lighting, the reception would be beautiful and both agents suspected that during the evening events, the main dining hall would be similarly decorated but with a plush velveteen carpet and burgundy walls. The latter was glimpsed through a door left fleetingly opened. There was the gallery to the left of that, signs hanging from the doors ‘Men at Work. Authorised Personnel only’.  
“We have a reservation under Mr Guardian.” He flashed the receptionist a smile and the man behind the desk blushed, looking hurriedly at the computer. He reached blindly for the card, nodding as he swiped it. Amilee allowed herself to look up at Ward, smiling as he checked on her, giving her a squeeze as he wrapped an arm around her. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear.  
“Stairs or lift?” It was done under the pretence of sweet nothings, so he lifted to return the nervous smile that the receptionist threw his way.   
“You’re all sorted, Mr Guardian, sir. You’re on the third floor, the only door on the right.” He handed over a key card, placing the credit card into the safe in their room slot. There had been a virus in the chip and the black stripe on the back, screening the hotel’s records to send Skye a guest list. Amilee smiled warmly at the receptionist, and waved as she pulled Ward away to the lifts.   
“I don’t know why you’re worried.” She murmured, looking up at him. “We just went in a lift…” She trailed off as he sighed, looking down at her.   
“We can’t afford an episode, Amilee.” Ward smiled, forcing it onto his face as she frowned slightly. He curled a finger under her chin, lifting it so she was made to look at him.   
“No.” She shook her head free, looking at the lift. “…Why are we still waiting?”  
“You didn’t press the button.” They looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter. Ward tried to stop, his shoulders shaking as she pressed the button to go up.   
“And I was a first class agent…” Her eyebrows twitched and she stepped through the door, after letting another couple walk past them.   
“Shut up.” He hissed, stepping in beside her.  
“Make me.” She growled, smirking as he looked at with a sidelong glance. She glimpsed the trace of a grin as he looked up, the security camera eyeballing them as they travelled, the doors sliding closed with a hiss. Amilee turned, his hand coming around her waist automatically. Good, she thought, smiling up at him. So far, their cover was holding. It was something that she’d been worrying but really, both had been under deeper cover than this. At the beginning of her career, she’d gone straight into cover deep enough to not surface until . That had been painful.   
“Later.” He muttered as the lift doors opened again. He pulled her tighter to him, the jolt throwing her closer. Another couple, older this time, a pair whose wealth oozed out of them. Their clothes, though smart, were nothing compared to the man and woman who had just joined them. The man was huge, bulging in his clothes, stomach hanging over his belt. The woman couldn’t have been more different; stick thin with a nose that Amilee felt she could touch from her place on the opposite side of the lift. They ignored Ward and Amilee, right up until Ward sneezed, the sound loud over the trashy music which was playing. Amilee snorted into his chest, giggling as he glanced over his shoulder. The woman’s lips were curled into a slight snarl but the man’s jolly round cheeks were lifted in a smile. At least, they were until his wife shot him a glare. He looked at Amilee with a slight leer, then turned to look up at his wife.   
Ward sensed discomfort, twisting so that Amilee was on his other side. She lifted on tiptoes, hand sliding to cup his cheek gently, her mouth pressing against his briefly. He stiffened, then brought her closer, gently touching her cheek as she dropped back to her feet. The woman scowled at them, muttering something about the youth of today. Her husband watched them out of the corner of his eye.   
“Honestly, how utterly astonishing. In public as well.”  
“Come now, Miriam. They are just in love.”  
Ward swallowed, looking down to see Amilee snuggled up against his shoulder. He paused, then kissed her again, sighing as he looked at the lights flicker on the screen above the door. There was an intrusion in the music and their floor was announced.   
“Amilee…” He murmured and she blinked, looking up at him.   
“Hmm? Is this us?” Ward nodded, giving her a grin. She returned it, stepping away to right herself, straightening his jacket. The doors slid open and they walked out, hand in hand, fingers linked. Amilee glanced over her shoulder, the man still watching her. She shivered, biting her lip.  
“Amilee?” He lifted an eyebrow, stopping as she froze, staring at him.   
“...I-I He… He just made me feel uncomfortable.” Ward dropped her hand, searching through his back pocket for the key card. They walked down the corridor, comparing door numbers to the one on the card.  
“Ward… We’re looking at the wrong side.” She turned, gesturing at the other door, pointing at it. “There…” She gestured, smirking slightly. “It’s there!” She folded her arms as he twirled around.  
“Damn.” It really was the only door.   
“It’s going to be massive.” Amilee huffed out the words, hand beating Ward’s to push down on the handle. She stepped inside, and gasped.   
“Holy crap, Ward.” She balked, swallowing. “Shit.”  
“Indeed.” He stood close to her, shutting the door. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear again, much like he had before. “Are we supposed to do a sweep or not?” She gave a shake of her head. Turning, she slid an arm around his neck, pulling him closer.  
“If there are any audio, then Skye will be able to cut it. Visual is harder, so we have to.. To stay in character all the time. No breaks.” She pressed her lips briefly to his cheek and his hand, which had slipped to her waist to balance them both, passed round to the small of her back, thumb stroking gently.  
“Of course… We are going to hate each other!”   
“Nah, we’ll be fine.” She shrugged, stepping away from him. Amilee turned to observe the room… Suite that they’d be staying in. There was a lounge with flat-screen television and two large desks positioned opposite each other. A set of matching chairs and sofa were arranged in front of those. Beside them, there was a small kitchenette with basic facilities. Of course, there were several pieces of modern and classic art, copies on the most part of the latter, scattered about the walls. The carpet was thick and Amilee toed off her ankle boots, sitting on the floor to peel off her socks.  
“What are you doing!?”  
She let out a long sigh, toes scrunching in the deep carpet. The feel was like the softest fleece and she nearly purred. “I’m not doing anything…”  
“Carpet feel good, huh?” He helped her up, dropping her hand quickly, and walked behind a screening wall. The bed was set behind this with a more modern set up of clothing units opposite it, the fronts lined with mirrors. The bags they’d brought with them were stacked on the floor in front of these as well as several silver cases from SHIELD. They’d get to those later.  
“What are we doing about this…” Ward had stopped, gesturing at the bed. The sheets were silk, the blankets and throws not clashing with the rouge colour palette which was dotted with black, exquisite embroidery in lacy patterns spiralling over the top.   
“We’re sharing, silly.” She laughed, following. “Oh my god…” Ward turned and laughed, she was folding her arms, fingers gripping tightly. “I really want to jump on it.”  
“Seriously?” He lifted an eyebrow, then sighed, dropping to his knee as he started to undo his shoes. He pulled them off, lining them up together by their bags. Grinning, he looked at her, then held out his hand. “Ready?”  
“Wait, what?”   
“You wanted to jump on the bed. We’re going to jump on the bed.” He wiggled his fingers, and she took his hand, slowly, looking at him like he was mad. There was a slight glint in his eye, the, was it, glee suddenly infectious.  
“On the count of three?”  
“On the count of three.” He nodded and Amilee giggled, grinning as she took a deep breath. They counted together.  
“One. Two…. Three.” Racing towards it, they leapt in perfect time, landing in a flump of pillows and blankets, the covers spilling around them like waves. The mountain of pillows avalanched, cascading to the floor. Amilee laughed and Ward joined her, rolling over so that he hovered above her. As she came down from her high, she sighed, reaching to slide a hand round the back of his neck, trailing the natural motion in her brain. She didn’t stop to think before she pulled him in for a kiss. He followed, mouth more insistent as he moulded her lips around his. It was a proper kiss, unlike the one in the lift, it had more substance. If anything, it looked more real. And it was just for the cameras.  
When they broke apart, Ward fell onto his back, breathing steady but its pace was elevated.   
“I…”  
“It’s nothing, Ward.” She murmured, rolling onto her side to look at him. His hand found hers and she smiled, linking their fingers. “We’ve just got to remain in character. All of the time.” He just rolled his eyes, looking at for a moment longer.   
“We should unpack before we get in trouble for keeping them out of the loop.” He pulled away, and Amilee sat up, drawing her knees into her chest.  
“Are you going to help?” She slithered from the bed and sighed, heading for the collection of cases. They were all identical; if one was popped open, the padding would be identical, foam pyramids joining to protect their precious cargo. She lifted a couple from the floor, placing them on the bed, dodging pillows, lest she slip and land on her ass.   
“Right, we have to connect the pieces to the laptops, then we can finally call the family.”   
“Family…” He paused, biting his lip. “Oh…Your family.” His lip curled slightly and she turned, lifting her eyebrow.   
“What are you doing?”   
“Your family don’t like me.” He looked at her and she was shocked to see he meant it.   
“Are you really going to bring my brother into this?”  
“At least sound like you’re convinced by it.” Snapping, Ward took a step toward her. Amilee met him halfway, the gap between them closed.   
“Fine then.” She threw her hands in the air, turning away from him. “I thought you’d made a good impression on them but apparently you thought otherwise.”   
“Amilee…” He looked at her, lips pressed together, then turned, flicking the catches up. He pulled open the case, taking out a set of wires, a laptop and a webcam. He booted up the laptop, placing it on one of the desks. It was a sleek, black machine, the logo shaved off making it inconspicuous, but perfect for the young professional. Ward nodded, tapping in several access codes and his own ID number. Amilee shrugged, ignoring in him in a prickly silence as she pulled out her own white version. She underwent the same process, sitting down in the chair opposite his desk. Again, opposites as the one at which she sat was a metallic black and his the opposite in silver.  
“When are we touching base?”  
“In a few minutes.” She looked up from the screen to see Ward placing sensors, just in case their room was entered without prior knowledge. The motion sensors threw a near invisible beam which, when cut, would send an alert to the team across the road. It meant that there would be someone at all times who would know what was happening. Clipping the webcam to the top of the laptop, she hesitated, then entered the code which had been in their separate files. There were no inbuilt cameras. This way, they could move the cameras to where they wanted, allowing them to envelope the whole of the room under security.   
“Why would the room be bugged in the first place?”  
“Blackmail?” She tried out the word, rolling it from her tongue.   
“Hello?” Skye’s voice dropped into the room with a slight crackle and her picture appeared on the screen in front of Amilee. “Helloo-ooo?” She sang slightly, trying to get Amilee’s attention. “Anyone home?”  
“Yup.” Amilee glanced back at the screen and gave Skye a slight smile. “How are you doing?”  
“We’re all set up over here, Fitz and Simmons are prepping…” Amilee had held up her hand, cutting off Skye’s line of speech.   
“We don’t know how their infestations are at the moment.” It was almost an agreed code, anything bug-related and used in the field environment screamed unknown status on bugs and other devices used for monitoring people. “But they’re prepping. That’s good.” She nodded, biting her lip. “How’s, uh, Coulson?”  
“He’s fine, why?”   
Skye frowned at her, lifting an eyebrow. She flushed as Ward appeared, caging Amilee in, his body close to hers.  
“Skye, hello? Focus.” Amilee didn’t even flinch, settling back as Ward moved the camera, righting it so both of them were in shot.   
“Right, yeah… I managed to hack into their guest list. You’re now sitting with two von Tramps and a Mr and Mrs Carling. The von Tramps are sisters, although it looks like the world and his wife think that something a little kinky is going on there.”  
“Have you found anybody which looks a little bit suspicious?”  
“Suspicious people are few. The only which Fitz said might be a possibility would be a Mr M. Hunter.”  
“Why is Fitz helping you?”  
“…He and Simmons had a fight about the firebox.”  
“Firebox?” Ward frowned.  
“The exothermic pathway-“  
“Exothermic chemical trajectory synthesiser.”  
“What now?... Do you mean the thing which is going to keep our guy stable if he does explode on us.”  
Skye nodded as Fitz walked into shot behind her.   
“Yes. Although, you’ll have to be within his range for it to work. Do we get to know how it works or are we going into this with covered eyes as well?” Amilee crossed her arms, her leg following suit as it folded over the other.   
“We’re going to have guess. I’m really sorry, guys, but we’ve only managed a tiny bit of isolation. We’ll keep working on it…” He waved, disappearing from the screen to sit just in screen, a tiny laboratory set up. All Amilee could assume was that he was keeping true to his word.   
“Skye, do you know anything else at all about…” Amilee trailed off as Matthews passed through the shot. She could just hear the reaches of his voice and she strained to catch the rest as he stood just out of his shot.  
“…Yes, I know it happened. It was an accident.”   
Skye frowned, looking over her shoulder at the conversation. She tipped onto the two back legs of her chair to get a better look, balancing perfectly.   
“Guys, can I… Can I, uh, talk to you later?”  
“Um, sure.”  
“Oh…” Skye listened to an instruction from Coulson, nodding. “Yes sir.” She looked back at Amilee and Ward, doing another double take.  
“Please don’t forget that you two have a dinner this evening… and dancing. Amilee, you have a dress right?” Skye was ignoring Ward, looking intently at the agent on the other side of her screen. Nodding, Amilee glanced up and over the top of the screen to look at the bag she had packed meticulously. Inside it lay her secret weapon, something she hadn’t had the chance to wear, not even once during her career with SHIELD. It still had the tags on as well.  
“We’ll be there… And it starts at eight?” Amilee asked, eyes darting back to the screen. Ward stepped back, leaving her to finish it off.   
“Mmhmm…. Um, Coulson says good luck and see you in the basement.”


	11. Chapter 11

There were so many people milling around outside the Grand Hall, bodies squashed together. Breaths twisted into curls against the dark sky as they crowded, gathering against the barriers. Necks craned as people tried to get glimpses of the elite as they entered for one of the more illustrious events. There were camera flashes, some held high to get clear shot. The select few were ushered past, there was no time for photo ops, not with the weather on the turn or the worse. Clouds were beginning to gather, rolling in over the buildings, casting more shadow despite the amped up lighting that had been provided. There were groans, a sort of collective rustle and then the rain fell, opening in a sudden torrent onto the collection of people below.  
Inside was a different story, the lavish preparations giving no hint, but a blatant pull at the luxury which all of the people that were in attendance were used to. Ward frowned, looking over an evening paper before he and Amilee made their first appearance at the dinner. He was downstairs, sitting in one of the sleek leather armchairs. He checked his watch, lifting an eyebrow at the time; dinner started in only half an hour and there no sign of his partner. He rolled his eyes, surreptitiously pressing the coms in his ear.  
“Skye… ETA on Amilee?”  
“Geez, boy, it’s not like she’s going to go to the meal with anybody else.” She said, hurrying through the cameras that they’d patched through to her in the intervening hours since their earlier conversation. Looking up at his name being called, he ignored Skye’s next bit of conversation. His jaw dropped. Trailing his eyes up the stairs, he caught sight of Amilee. Dressed in a little black dress with long lace sleeves, it came to rest just above her knees. She wore a pair of killer heels, at least four inches.   
“Holy shit, Ward.” Skye was watching from a button camera, fixing on the agent. “She’s got legs that would-“  
Amilee started down the stairs and he stood, walking slowly over. His eyes did coast up her body, taking everything in. She blinked, her make up dark and smoky, lashes long and thick… She was gorgeous.  
“What…” Amilee looked at him, rolling her lip between her teeth. Ward shook his head as she reached the last step, looking him in the eye. She took the last step with ease, and he wrapped an arm around her waist.  
“Ward. You are not helping.” Skye’s tinny voice popped back into his ear and he sighed.   
“I’d kiss you, Amilee, but I don’t think Skye would appreciate it.” He smirked, looking down at her but Amilee shrugged.  
“It is part of our cover after all.”   
“Guys, can you get going?” Amilee rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around Ward’s neck as she kissed him gently. His hands slipping around her waist made her press a little bit closer.   
“Mm.” She pulled away. “We should go to dinner.” He gave a little sigh, biting his lip. His hand stayed proprietarily on her waist, steering her to their table which was at the back of the room. She sucked in a breath, and then sat down, Ward tucking her chair in behind her like a true gentleman.   
“I didn’t look at a menu…” She hesitated, looking at him.  
“Neither did I…”  
“If you really want to know what’s…” They were suddenly joined by the couple from before, Mr and Mrs Carling. The man promptly took a seat next to Amilee and his wife sighed, sitting next to him. Amilee bit her lip, looking at Ward nervously. He shrugged slightly, then shifted, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to stake his claim.   
“I promise that he won’t touch you.” Ward murmured in her ear and Skye’s laugh could be heard faintly.  
“Oh, come on, you can take care of yourself.”  
“Skye, shut up.” Amilee hissed, setting her phone on the table. There was a camera on the end, a panning shot which took in the whole room with a wide angle lens. The technology department at the Hub had outdone themselves, and Amilee would have to remind herself to thank them. “Just keep watch.” She stroked Ward’s, Grant’s, cheek then turned, pulling her water glass towards her carefully.  
“Are you not drinking this evening, my dear?” Both Amilee and Grant turned to look at their neighbours, the man grinning with jovial ease. Grant lifted an eyebrow, and rolled his eyes. His arm went back around her shoulders and he shifted.   
“I’m so sorry, I’ve been so rude to not introduce myself.”  
“I am Mr Carling…” He paused to take a sip of his wine after swilling it around his glass, a taster before the main event. “My wife, Lady Carling.” He offered his hand, meaty fingers closing over Amilee’s hand as she shook it delicately. Her hand came out of the gesture in a ball of slime, the sweat from his palm encasing her palm. She turned a moment and wiped it sneakily on the table cloth. Mr Carling’s leg bumped hers and she turned her body, angling it away from him.   
“Sorry, I just forgot myself for a moment.” She offered a warm smile and the wife shook her head from side to side at her. Amilee frowned, but then people started to settle onto their tables. “How are you?”   
They offered polite conversation throughout the rest of the meal, which did pass quickly. Carling got progressively brasher as the evening continued, getting bolder. Ward used the stare he only brought out in the worst of interrogations to get Carling to back off when he lounged, stretching his arm over the back of Amilee’s chair. There had been a couple of moments when Ward could have sworn that Carling had touched Amilee’s leg, resting it on her knee. When that had happened, Amilee had twisted to ‘kiss’ his jaw. Part of him wished that she’d follow through with the act, making their entire façade more convincing.   
“Would you care to partake in drinks with us?” Mr Carling was interrupted by his wife’s sudden inclusion in conversation. She offered a slight smile around her nasal voice, the sound cutting through.   
“Uh..” Amilee’s eyes widened and she looked back at Ward who just shrugged, sipping at his beer.   
“Of course.” He set his glass down and smiled at the woman. His finger was tracing circles on Amilee’s shoulder, and he turned to speak with the other couple. “…We just, uh, need a moment.”   
Mrs Carling nodded and smirked, just catching his wink. Mr Carling kept his gaze focused on Amilee, hands still placed on his lap.  
“We should leave them to it, my dear.” She said, thwacking his shoulder with her hand held clutch purse which was shaded in a revolting mustard yellow, clashing with her tailored suit in khaki. “Young love, after all.”   
“Rightio… We’ll be at the bar, and we’d love to know more about your business ideas, Mr Guardian.”   
“Of course, if you’ll excuse us.” He gestured, and Amilee picked up her phone, rising from her seat. She picked up her phone, leaning past Mr Carling, who smirked, shifting his seat back to let her get passed. His eyes dropped down her back, fixing on her bottom.   
Frozen for a moment, Amilee sensed his eyes, and shuddered, wondering where his wife’s attention was. Could she not keep the man in check for longer than five minutes? She stood up, sliding away from him, well aware of the leer which was following her from the room as Ward roughly seized her hand to pull from the room. They walked out of the doors, nodding to two of the doormen, and stepping into a niche, hidden behind reception. It was small, cosy, so they were pushed together.  
“Was it really necessary to hide in here?” She rolled her eyes, then dialled the number, the only contact in the phone.   
“Maybe not…” Ward frowned as she held the phone in between them.   
“We have to make this quick…” Amilee said, and Skye’s voice crackled up between them.   
“Why? It’s supposed to be a round up of today.”  
“We’ve been asked for drinks. Ward decided that he’d be too convincing and now we have to have drinks with the Carlings. That dude is creepy, Skye.”  
“It’s not just my fault.”  
“No… Have you seen your legs recently, Amilee? They are fiiiineeee.” Skye drew the word as she sighed, both agents detecting a note of jealousy and want in her voice. “So you two hotshots are off for… Drinks? Be careful.”  
“We -.” The phone call ended as Amilee switched the phone off, dropping it to fling her arms around Ward’s neck as she spotted Mr Carling approaching. Ward’s hands dropped to the small of her back, and he placed a long, hard kiss to her mouth. Ignoring him as they stayed locked in the passionate embrace, Amilee slid her hands up, threading through his hair. One hand caught the sensitive spot behind his ear, and he flinched, jerking away. Carling took this opportunity to interrupt with a cough. The pair sprang apart, putting what little distance they could between them.   
“I was wondering if I could ask for the first dance, Miss… Amilee?”  
“Yes?” She looked up at Ward, eyes wide with fear as the other man looked her over; his face was arranged in a definite leer. He gave a slight shake of his head.  
“Uh, perhaps some drinks first, then I’m afraid I promised Grant that I was his this evening.” A flicker of something akin to anger crossed Carling’s face, and Amilee stood closer to Ward as he reached to pull her closer. There was no hesitation in Ward’s additional reply.  
“I’m sure one dance won’t hurt, honey.” He answered, a slight smirk in his eyes as he placed a possessive hand on her waist. She leaned against him, hand flattening on his chest. As Carling watched the little display, something twitched in the back of his mind. There was something not quite right about this couple. They were too dependent on the other. He blinked and then remembered why he was there.   
“So, the first dance, my lady?”  
Ward nodded again, letting go a little too quickly for Amilee’s liking. It was out of cover.   
“Be my guest.” He lifted an eyebrow at Amilee who glared briefly at him. He’d deal with that later. “I just need to get something from our room, honey. I’ll be five minutes.” He leaned in to kiss her deeply, making his claim obvious. He broke it when Carling coughed loudly and Amilee stepped back breathless.   
“Promise?” She looked up at him, biting her lip.  
“Promise.” He nodded, giving her a soft smile, running his thumb over her lips. It was strangely intimate and Carling almost did a double take. Once he had regained control of himself, Carling bit his lip, then smiled, ignoring the almost warning in the back of his mind. Maybe, he had been mistaken.   
“Have fun, and don’t use up all of your energy.” Ward waved them off as Amilee reluctantly placed her arm in Carling’s, a smile lighting the old man’s face.   
Uneasy, Ward hit redial on the phone as he stood in the foyer, calling Skye back after the abrupt interruption.   
“Skye?”  
“Ward?”  
“Yes. Sorry about the interruption, we, uh, we nearly got caught out.”  
“Where were you? Where’s Amilee?”  
“Bar-Amilee is currently wooing one of our fellow diners.” Ward sighed, walking to the doors and peeking through them. He could see Amilee from here, and he watched dance with Carling. Fortunately, he breathed out a sigh of relief, it was a partner switching dance so that every so often, the men and women took a new partner for the next stage in the piece.   
“Wooing?”  
“She looks goo-“  
“She doesn’t just look good… We know you haven’t taken your eyes off her, Ward. You’re still watching her.” Ward turned from the door, shaking his head. “No, I’m not.” He slowly twisted back to it, drawn to keeping an eye on her. Amilee had a sour look on her face, the same one she’d had during the dinner when she’d had the lemon fried Dover sole. She was not impressed. He caught her eye and smirked, giving her a little wave, waggling his fingers.   
The icy look she returned did not go amiss; Carling looked up at her, raising an intrigued eyebrow. He glanced over his shoulder, but saw nothing or no one who would garner such a reaction. Amilee moved his hand from her hip, placing it back on her hip with an almost growl, the sound dying in her throat.   
“Is something wrong my dear?” He span her round, dipping her in an uncomfortable flourish, bending her back. The music was played on strings, spiced with a faint accordion and snare/ cymbal flourish. Carling waited a moment longer, then asked her again.  
“Amilee?”  
“You are too forward, sir.” A voice cut in. Amilee hadn’t realised that she’d been danced away from the main floor to the side of room, a shadowy area. She shifted as Carling dropped her arms, steered her into the corner. He ignored the voice, until he realised that Amilee had stopped, staring at the man who had intruded, however, she was grateful for it meant she could finally get away from the stodgy man.   
“We are perfectly fine, young man, now can’t you see we have business to discuss?”  
“What?” Amilee looked down at Carling who wiggled his eyebrows in a hideously suggestive manner.  
“And I would like to ask this fine woman for a dance.” The man looked at Amilee and smiled, gesturing towards the dance floor as a slow tango began, the stings oozing out a rich, full melody.   
“We have-“ Amilee cut Carling off with a deadly stare, then smiled at the mysterious stranger, taking the hand he offered.  
“I would love to dance with you.” She threw Carling a dashing smile, then followed the man onto the dance floor, adopting a proper position, bodies close together.  
“I’d hoped to find you here.” He finally looked her in the eye and she was held, hypnotised. “…Matthews?” Her eyebrows rocketed upwards, and she tried her hardest to exercise self-control not to slap him. What was he doing here? He would endanger the whole mission. By holding her on the dance floor, he would break the arranged cover, destroying all hopes of finding their iceman. After the heat and pressing humidity of being close to Carling, she welcomed the coolness of his hands in hers, the iciness passing through even his clothing. She paused, thinking as they danced for a moment longer in silence, then looked at him again. His eyes were so familiar, she’d seen them before, recently. Shrugging, the dance finished and she spotted Ward, waiting for her at the side of the floor. She curtsied to Matthews who let her go; the dance had gone too quickly. Approaching Ward, she breathed out and he curled her into a hug, gently stroking the bare space of back that the dress didn’t cover with lace or otherwise. He pulled her onto the dance floor, and Amilee sighed, leaning against them. They revolved slowly on the spot. She became aware of Ward’s voice, sliding into her little panic about what they were going to do with Matthew’s.  
“Amilee, are you even listening to me?”   
“…Sorry, Grant.” She sighed, blinking up at him. “What did you say?” She bit her lip apologetically, and he brought her closer, hand sliding down, settling just above the swell of her butt.   
“Skye said that she hadn’t heard from Matthews since we landed and that the rest of the team seemed to think that he’d been waiting to hear from Coulson. Coulson doesn’t know what his orders were from above.”   
“So we basically have a rogue psychiatrist…” She rolled her eyes, tone heavily sarcastic. “Well, isn’t that just fabulous?!... No, wait. I’ve seen him.”  
“You have?!” Ward nearly stopped dancing, but continued as if he hadn’t missed a beat.  
“…Just now, before you called me over to dance…” She looked around, trying to spot him. “Before I forget, did you mention to Coulson that we need to put that couple on a higher alert, see if we can get any of their cards or recent movements over the globe?!”  
“I mentioned it to Skye and she said she’d get right on it.” He laughed softly, biting his lip as he glanced down at her.  
“I’m thinking we give it another hour or two and then head back to our room… It’s almost expected of us to leave the party early.” She shrugged, pulling him down by his jacket lapels. “You know being so very much in love.” He moved in for the kiss before she expected it and he smiled, kissing her gently.  
“You have a point.” Smirking, he pulled back, steering her towards the elegantly decorated bar. He helped her onto a stool, charging the two drinks to their tab. She frowned, lifting an eyebrow as a mojito appeared in front of her. “I didn’t know that we were allowed to drink on this mission?” She murmured, drawing him down by the tie.  
“Part of me wants to bow out now.”  
“You know Skye is hearing all of this.”  
“Mmhmm, but she knows not to interrupt.” Ward laughed, swigging from the bottle of beer as he straighten. Amilee lifted her shoulder, and reached for her drink, taking a long draught. It was refreshing, satisfying one of many small cravings that she seemed to be having.   
“Good?”  
“Have you… Already?” Her eyebrows lifted again, as he set down his empty bottle, ordering another one.  
“I have to at least pretend to be tipsy, and at least be more sober than you.” Ward smirked, pushing the bottle towards her. Non-alcoholic. From a distance, it looked like ordinary beer but of course, they couldn’t actually be under the influence of anything. “And yours is…”  
“Real?!” She nearly spat it out, but swallowed the sip she’d just taken.  
“…Relax, just drink slowly, and it’ll be fine.”


	12. Chapter 12

Ward regretted his words a couple of hours later, as he tried to explain to the Carlings who had reappeared and cornered them. Amilee was either thoroughly out of it or she was a brilliant actress.  
“…Your husband is a…” She trailed off and Ward rolled his eyes, making a ‘and this is why I don’t let her drink’ look at Mrs Carling who just smiled serenely, agreeing with a similar ‘my husband can be an arse’ look. After exchanging a few more delayed words, Ward took one long look over Amilee and made the call to remove her from the room.   
“If you can excuse… Amilee!” She slipped from the stool, grabbing his arm. There was muffled laughter in his ear as Skye caught the moment on camera. He sighed, rolling his eyes, and pulled her to standing. “Take off the shoes.”  
“But… But… Okay.” She nodded, blinking up at him with an adorable smile. “Hold me up?”  
Ward supported her as she took the shoes off, slinging them over her fingers. She wobbled, clinging hold of his bicep. “Oh, wow… Look at your arms. You are so… R-r-r-r-r-r-ripped.” “You are making a fool out of yourself, Amilee.”  
“But I do it so well, Grant, honey.” She reached up and kissed his cheek sloppily.  
“No. We need to get you upstairs as quickly as we can.” Grant sighed, then crouched down and picked her up, her arms coming round his neck in choke hold as he lifted her. “No-not so tight, Amilee.” He reached, loosening her grip so she didn’t kill him on his way up to their suite.  
“Of course, baby… I am going to rock your world tonight.”  
He shook his head. “No. You are going to sleep this off before we even think about rocking each other’s world.” He apologised to the Carlings, thanking them for picking up the tab and made his way through the slowly thinning crowd. Never again was he plying Amilee with alcohol so she acted in a civilised way. It was obviously too much for her to cope with. Hesitating, he pulled out the phone and held it to his ear.   
“Skye?”  
“S’up Ward?” There were hissed giggles in his ears, and he shook his head, moving, almost dislodging the ear piece. He flinched slightly, Amilee’s lips brushing the sensitive patch of skin behind his ear. He gave a little whine, and Skye chuckled.  
“Geez, Ward. What is she doing to you?”   
“Shut up, Skye. At least… Amilee consumed too much alcohol.”  
“Did she now? You shouldn’t have kept ordering them for her.”  
Ward climbed the stairs, shifting Amilee up as he kept hold of her, holding her against him. He twitched again, her lips catching his skin as he took a step every so often. Shuddering, she moaned slightly and he frowned, pace speeding up a little as he felt her grip on him tighten.  
“I didn’t… It was that Carling. The minute she’d finished one, another one magically appeared. I had nothing to with it, Skye. You can tell Coulson that happened by accident… She saw Matthews.” He slid their card key into the slot and opened the door, careful not to dislodge her. Sighing, he made straight for the bed, laying her down gently. She dropped and he looked her over. She would be very uncomfortable in her dress, at least that’s what he thought, looking the imprint the lace was leaving on her arms. He pulled his coms out of his ear, turning it up so that he could still hear Skye.   
“Cut the cameras.”  
“What?” Her voice bubbled up and there was a chorus of ‘Nos’ which rang through the microphone.   
“Skye, that’s not a request, it’s a command. You need to go bed too. Nothing is going to happen. Not now.” He ignored another protest, turning the cameras to face the wall.   
“You know that Coulson isn’t going to be pleased about this.”  
“It’s not twenty four / seven surveillance, right?” Ward asked her, shifting Amilee up as she groaned again. There was a slight tremor to her hands which he ignored, concentrating on removing her clothing. He’d leave the rest, although maybe taking her shoes would be a good idea. Yes, it would, he thought, sitting her up. He treated her a little roughly as if she were a ragdoll, pulling her arms from her sleeves and almost but not quite yanking the dress over her head. She was utterly compliant, dozing as he worked. He left her on top of the covers as he went through his routine, using the bathroom. Never again was he letting her drink. It was too dangerous. There had even been a couple of slips but he thought he’d covered those. He sighed, then leaned back, peeking through the door to look at her. She’d curled up, legs in a tangle atop the sheets. There was part of him that saw another human, another tool of SHIELD but a small part saw something else, something deeper. She was an agent, yes, but she was so… Vulnerable like that. Practically laid bare before him, she hadn’t let anybody in about Budapest, only her therapist. He knew she hated that word, and he berated himself for using it.  
Clicking off the light, Ward slipped back into their bedroom, lifting her up and putting her down under the covers. He thought about putting a pillow barrier between them, then shrugged it off.  
“Skye? I take it you’re still there.”  
“No, but I am, Agent.”  
“Coulson, sir, I..” He trailed, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous swallow. How did he explain that Amilee had passed the point where she could respond?  
“Barton is?”  
“Currently incapacitated.” There was a slight moan and Ward’s head flicked to where Amilee twisted, straightening out her back. He caught sight of her skin in the half-light, and lifted his eyebrows. He breathed and then continued speaking with Coulson.  
“Do you need an official recorded report, sir?” He tried to divert his attention, walking over to the desk which Amilee hadn’t claimed. He picked up his laptop and took it with him as he returned to the bed. He gave her a brief check over, then sat with his ankles crossed on top of the covers. Licking his lips, he booted the computer, tapping in several codes. Ward sighed, shuffling away from the nudging at his thigh.  
Coulson didn’t answer and Ward frowned.   
“Sir?”  
“No, Ward.” Coulson gave a sigh. “It’s just that Agent Barton is supposed to check in with Matthews but he isn’t with us. And he certainly isn’t with you… Is he?”  
“No… Although Amilee said that she did dance with him. Even before she became intoxicated, she was adamant, that her stranger saviour was him. Something about his eyes, she said.”  
“About his eyes?” Coulson asked, and suddenly appeared on Ward’s screen, who was busy pushing at the mass beside his leg. It hit back and Coulson frowned, suddenly looking at the side of the bed. Ward frowned, finally looking at the distraction. Exhaling, he reached and picked up the laptop, grabbing it. Ward let Amilee rest her cheek on his thigh, hand gently curled against his skin.  
She sighed, eyelids flickering as she entered dream stasis, slipping through dimensions and realms.   
“Yeah. She’d seen them before.” Ward made sure that Coulson couldn’t see her, keeping the laptop so only he was in shot. Coulson nodded, breathing deeply as he pondered Ward’s words for a moment. “How is the device coming along, sir?”  
“It’s coming along a little faster than before, we need to bring him peacefully, Agent Ward. We cannot risk either the mission or the device going the wrong way.”  
“I know, sir.” Ward nodded. “What do I do about Agent Barton?”  
“Is it in her cover about being a party girl?” Coulson added air quotes to the last of the sentence, looking at Ward expectantly. He shook his head.  
“No, sir, do you think we should add it in?”  
“Would be a good thing. She’s an heiress after all.” Sighing, the older agent looked at his younger counterpart and his shoulders slumped slightly. “We have three days left, Ward. Do not let us down. We’ll contact you again in the morning. Have a good night.” Coulson ended the video call and Ward put the laptop down on the floor. Using the light switch by the bed, Ward plunged the room into darkness. His eyes adjusted quickly, and he gave Amilee a quick glance. It was like having a cat sprawled across his leg. And that was going to be uncomfortable. Taking his time so he didn’t wake her, Ward moved her back to her side of the bed, settling down on his own, pulling his pillows down and around him.   
Amilee squirmed, tossing and turning under the collection of blankets, arching her back as she started to scream. Ward groaned, pulling the pillow down around his ears. She had been screeching at various pitches throughout the night. It was now four thirty in the morning.  
“Amilee.” He gave up, enough was enough and they didn’t need security running up the stairs to investigate. “AMILEE!” He took her shoulders pulling from the twisted blankets that were threatening to choke her. “Come on, sweetie! Amilee!” A note of panic rose in his voice as she remained trapped in her nightmare. Sweat was breaking out on her skin, and the sound she made was piercing even his thick hide.   
“Hey, come on!” Ward shook her harder, then paused, thinking back to the times when she’d gone through this on the ship. Pushing the sheets down, he pulled her damp body into his lap. He ignored the way her skin stuck to his, focusing on keeping himself free from panic. It wouldn’t help the situation. “Amilee…” He pressed his lips to her hair, and started rock her gently, hands splayed over her back, holding her against him.   
“Gr-grant?” She asked through dry sobs, her body lifting with the effort of trying to breathe normally. He nodded, looking down into her eyes before she pressed her forehead to his shoulder. She was freezing, her whole body icy as she touched him. Her fingers spread over his shoulders and the cold trickled down his spine, causing him to shiver.   
For Amilee, it was the opposite, he burned hot. Desperate for some kind of warmth, she pulled him closer, scrabbling to wrap herself up his heat. She hesitated, burying her face in his neck. He flinched, then continued, waiting for her to return to normal. There was a struggle going on in her head. In addition to the usual, there had been eyes. So many eyes. All of them the same. Grey, piercing grey eyes that saw straight into her very heart. And they were so cold. So very, very cold. She had been drawn to them, walking closer to them to examine who they were from. She hadn’t been able to help herself but the minute she was close, there had been no escaping the drilling way they had looked at her. She’d tried to turn but she was held captive by icy manacles which had slid up her wrists. The same had happened to her ankles and she had been splayed out, waiting for the creature to come towards hers.  
Amilee shivered, biting her lip as her body trembled violently. Ward shifted, letting go of her to pull the blanket up around them both. The cold from her body was seeping through to his and she made to pull away, but Ward wound his arms around her, holding her captive against him. He had expected her to move away from him, but he didn’t want her to stay in this state, not with it making her react in such a violent way. They couldn’t risk anything in this circumstance, not with their moves now being scrutinised. Grant cupped her cheek gently, pulling her face up to look at him. He sighed, forehead creasing a little with concern, the rest with frustration. He didn’t know enough about the situation to control it, to be on top. She hadn’t divulged much about Budapest, nothing about her past mission save for the few snippets that she had given him.  
“Hey now…” He said quietly, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She stared up at him, wide eyes looking up from under her carefully made up lashes. He’d seen her put a set of wipes on her bedside table and he shuffled so he could reach the packet. The rip as they opened scratched at his ears and Amilee flinched, jumping from her skin.  
“Sh…” He took her face in one hand and began to gently wipe the make-up from her skin. He took his time, patiently waiting as she shifted. Holding her chin gently, Grant looked at her carefully, cleaning her face. He was surprised that she let him. Her eyes remained closed throughout, and he grabbed another wipe to remove the last traces of it. She sighed as he carefully put her back on her side of the bed. He made sure that she was settled, easing her back down on the mattress. Swallowing, he turned from her, resting on his side.   
He blinked sleepily, eyes drifting closed as he was enveloped by sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

The sun streamed over the top of the partition, blinding Amilee as her eyes flashed open. She sat up, pulling the blankets over her near naked form.   
“…Grant?” The word slipped out before she could stop it and she frowned, chewing on her lip. There was no answer but she shrugged it off. He was, she supposed, allowed his own space. Sliding from the covers, she grabbed the nearest thing she could to cover herself, pulling his t-shirt from the floor. She pulled it over her head, walking into the bathroom to see the tiny bin filled with only the two wipes. Blinking, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, pulling her lid down and inspecting it. Normal colour. She ran her tongue over her teeth. No furring either. She’d survived the night without a problem… Her thoughts trailed off and she paused, swallowing hard. There had been a problem. A big problem. Rootling around in her memories as she turned on the shower, Amilee paused at one sliver of the previous night.  
“…He cared.” Her eyes flicked to the bin where the wipes were scrunched up and then up to the mirror where her face was clear. The thought was brief, the words quicker than that. Her heart paused and she stepped into the granite cubicle that the suite called its shower. Water steamed and curled into the air, the cloud thickening as she stood in the spray. It came from all sides. Under the heat and pressure of the water, her muscles uncoiled, shoulders dropping as she tilted her neck. Changing position, she rolled it across and listened to the vicious crack it made as her joints shifted back into place. She stayed under the stream, shampooing vigorously as she woke up.  
Amilee walked out of the room in Ward’s t-shirt, wrapping her hair into a turban with the towel. She booted up her laptop, sitting down in the high back leather chair, legs swinging over the side. Ward looked up, quirking an eyebrow before he returned, looking back at his screen instead, hiding his face from her.  
“Do you know what we’re doing today?”   
Ward just shrugged; Amilee rolled her eyes at him, looking down at her screen. Swallowing down bitter words, she bit her lip, glancing up at him periodically as he maintained the silent treatment, giving her a stony look when she made the slightest sound. They were supposed to be scanning the building with help from Skye, trying to find the opposite to a heat signature. She’d rigged a heat sensor and amplified it with help from Simmons, or so the email said, and that they’d had no luck at the moment; everything that was supposed to be warm was and all the colours were being returned as normal readings. Amilee slid her finger over the screen, quirking an eyebrow as she frowned at the way the signature spiked… Rather, it shot downwards.  
“Grant?” She said, growling his name again as he didn’t answer her. “Oh, come on… I know you took my make up off last night.”  
“…And that wasn’t…”  
“You obviously thought it was necessary.” She snapped, standing, her chair wheeling backwards quietly.   
“No.  
“Exactly. No. It wasn’t but you did it anyway. Stop trying to act like nothing affects when it so blatantly does. Stop acting like you don’t care when you obviously do nothing but. You hate yourself for feeling like this, for feeling guilty about what? Considering a fellow agent’s comfort and sanity… I didn’t expect you to understand what I’ve been going through but you do. Deep down, you suffer from the same nightmares… The same daily hell. Your act is cracking, Ward, you need to let somebody else in before it eats you alive.”  
“That’s incredibly rich, Amilee.” He stood, rising fluidly from his seat. The vein in his neck was popping under his skin, and his entire stature tensed. “You of all people cannot talk about letting somebody in when all you do is keep people away.”  
“I am not going to change who I am!”  
“No. That’s who you became. You were letting in Matthews. You were letting in me. But now, you act like there’s nothing left.” He made as if to move towards her, ignoring the way his t-shirt hung loose over her body. “You act with a holier than thou attitude, looking down on lower agents because they can’t possibly begin to understand what it is you are going through. Honestly? You want to be honest? You tell someone what happened in Budapest. What really happened! Not what you put in the report. Something else happened that you didn’t tell anyone about. Something you blocked from your memory.” He stood, folding his arms across his chest. Staring at him as he eyeballed her back, she trembled.  
“Ward!” Skye’s voice rang out, cutting through the tension as her picture appeared on his screen, interrupting the search. “…Am I interrupting something, guys?”  
“No.” He turned, leaning over the screen to look at Skye who flushed. He was bare chested and only in a pair of shorts. It was too early for either of them to be dressed, especially for the gala.   
“No.” Amilee shook her head and walked over, Ward stepped back, allowing her to sit down in his chair. It was warm. He’d been there awhile.  
“Get in there, Amilee…” Skye trailed off at the sharp look, one which both agents matched with evident hostility. “Sorry.”  
“Bullshit, are you.” Amilee murmured, shifting as Ward moved around behind her. “What did you want, Skye?”  
“Did you get the spike?”  
“Yes.” Amilee nodded, but Ward stopped any further conversation.  
“You did, and you didn’t think to tell me?”  
“I was about to and then you decided that telling me I’m not human and that I’m hiding something from everybody was a bloody good idea.” Amilee growled, looking back at the screen and jumping from her skin. Ward swallowed, biting his lip as he saw Coulson.  
“Good morning, sir.” He was dressed in casual clothing and Amilee glanced at Ward who was wearing an amused expression although his eyes betrayed how he really felt.   
“Good morning, Barton. Ward.” He nodded to each of them in turn and settled, bringing several pieces of information onto their screen. “This is the energy spike. Fitz-Simmons are trying to trace it and mimic the energy from the original footage from the camera. If it’s similar, then we will have to act quickly and efficiently. So please make sure you spend your time sleeping, not…. Whatever you were doing.” Amilee flushed looking at the floor, tugging the edges of Ward’s t-shirt down over her knees. Coulson just smiled, waiting patiently as Ward coughed, the flush he had colouring down his neck.   
“It’s not my fault.” He said, looking at Coulson. “We were having drinks with a couple from dinner and Agent Barton was… compromised. I did my duty.”  
“Yes, of course, you did.” Coulson said calmly, looking at them both. “You realise that this mission does mean life or death?”  
“Yes, sir.” Amilee said as she felt his gaze switch from her counterpart to her. The flush flared again, heating her face. “I’m sorry, sir. It will not happen again.”  
“Do you think that you be able to continue successfully?”  
“I haven’t had a bad track record yet, sir.” She said solemnly, ignoring Ward’s cough. Coulson nodded.  
“We’ll check in once we know what caused the energy peak.” The call was terminated, and she pushed his chair back, standing up. Grant caught her wrist, pulling her back towards him. He turned her sharply, her hand rising to grip his wrist. They stood locked in tandem, Amilee’s lip curling as she glowered up at him.   
“Let go of me, Ward.”  
“Not until you listen.”  
“Until I listen? Holding me captive isn’t going to make me listen, Ward.”   
Grant sighed heavily, rolling his eyes as he let her go. She massaged her wrist, rubbing the red mark he’d left.   
“Right, will you listen?”   
Amilee stalked away from him, heading for the small kitchenette to make herself some coffee… “You made coffee?”  
“I thought you’d need it after… After last night. Turns out I was right.” He sighed, biting his lip.  
“You weren’t wrong.” She said, pouring a straight cup of black coffee in to a large mug. She turned, leaning against the counter as she sipped it. It was the perfect temperature. It didn’t scald her tongue, but laced her throat with heat. She gave a small sigh, and looked at him.  
“What are we doing?” She shook her head. “Grant… I’m trying.”  
“Wait, what are we talking about?”  
“I’m trying to talk to you. Liked you wanted. You are going to listen and I am going to talk. Then I’m going to do the same for you.”  
“We don’t…” He trailed off as she sat back down in her desk chair and shut the laptop down, pushing it away from her as she placed her cup down. “Bar-Amilee...”  
“Grant.” She said icily. “I have just offered to give you an explanation to something which nobody deserves to understand. Call me a hypocrite or a bitch, I couldn’t care less. But you wanted answers which I am going to give you. So if you don’t mind just shutting up…” Her lip curled, forcing her nose to wrinkle.  
“Shutting up?”  
“Yes, thank you.” She hugged the mug again, sipping from it to wet her throat. Taking a deep breath, she looked Ward in the eye. He sat down slowly, shifting as he got comfortable. She set her mug down and began to speak.  
“…My story starts five years ago, four before the Battle of New York.” She paused, looking at his blank expression.  
“So?” He gestured for her to continue.  
“I was called up for a mission in Budapest. Little did I know, it would be my only mission of my career. We passed at the same time,” Here, she gestured at him. “But you were always top in everything so I passed almost unnoticed under the radar. Maybe it had been a mistake to send me, I wasn’t as strong as you, I was never as intelligent as you… And I had far too much conscience. I was commandeered to set a bomb off as a distraction. That’s why I was chosen, I could work as part of a team, something you barely do now.” Amilee held up a hand as Ward started to protest. “Sh. Let me speak.” She took another sip of coffee.  
“I was chosen for that… That mission because I had the skills to see it through to the end, the very bloody end. Fast forward a couple of months, after being put in front of director Fury and Agents Coulson and Hill, I met with my team. It turned out that it would be just myself and brother with intelligence back up if we required. It should have been easy, in and out in the space of two to three days. We were a week in, mid infiltration when got wind of the ‘KGB’ agent, Romanoff. It turns out that my brother had history with her, and that she was in fact one of our own. Her appearance dropped my brother’s focus by a lot and he got lost in his emotions. He followed them to the building where we’d tracked her too. It turns out we were staging a pick-up, the bomb I was to lay was a distraction.  
“I was underground, my coms line was out of action. It was before the sonic wave technology had been perfected and I had no way of knowing if my brother knew where I was. We had perfected our manoeuvre, the plan drilled into both of our skills as we paced the hotel room floor. All I had to do was set the bomb, minor, would have caused a lot of rubble, nothing too serious. I set the cable, and the timer, ten minutes, then let it explode. Five minutes to get above ground or I’d be trapped and I wouldn’t have been rescued. Our, rather SHIELD’s priority was to get Romanoff back, alive. Anything else was collateral damage.” She’d closed her eyes. Ward would have said that Barton had relaxed but her hands were gripping her legs with enough force to whiten her knuckles.   
“I set the fuse, and climbed skywards through the tunnels. It was only when I crossed the road and looked up that I realised my mistake. Clint wasn’t anywhere to be found. He wasn’t in the building. Hell, nobody was in the building. I’d set it under the wrong one. Then I saw him as I turned. He was in a third floor hotel room, in the middle of closing the curtains. I caught a glimpse of red hair and I knew…  
“My heart sank, filling the hole where my stomach was… I had set the bomb under the wrong building. I was going to kill my brother and Romanoff and all of the other people who were in that building at the time. So I did the only thing I could think of. The layout was a little bit like this building and the one opposite, where they shared a refuse area. If I could get to the bomb, I could run it straight under the building and still have time to get to the other side… So that’s what I did. Clint didn’t see me, but I knew exactly what had happened.” She shook her head, swallowing. Her skin had paled, and Ward knew she was back there as she shuddered, jolting like she’d been hit by something.   
“As I crossed the road, I got hit by a Kawazaki motorbike bike. He just drove off unscathed and I lay in the road for a few minutes, gathering my bearings. I knew I knew had to move the device before it went off, so I didn’t risk the mission. I sprinted through the tunnels, taking a wrong turning. I backtracked and finally got it right. I picked up the device, and started for the refuse area. I made it to there, ribs aching from the bike, knees and elbows grazed from the fall. Then I headed for the basement of the other hotel, darting through the unlocked door. I hadn’t noticed that the hotel door had been locked, I’d just unlocked it and gone through. I made it to the spot, and set the bomb down, checking the time. That was I realised. I had been out for three minutes, all of that time completely gone; I had only two minutes to get out of the building. Even at a sprint I knew I wouldn’t make it. I am a miracle, Ward, I shouldn’t have made it out alive. As my brother gave into basic instincts, I gave my life so that the mission wouldn’t fail. I don’t want you to look at me like I shouldn’t have done that because I know that that’s what you would have done.”  
“…What happened then?”  
“That’s when everything gets a little bit hazy… I blacked out when a piece of rubble hit the back of my skull. Doctor said that if it had been higher or even lower I’d be dead or paralysed which would have been as good as dead anyway. I woke up periodically for moments, screaming at the black coffin around me. There was this continuous groaning and rumble around me, then the fire started. It got too hot, and there was the odd spatter of gun fire. They cracked and then something shifted above me. I closed my eyes and waited for it to stop. I later found out, once I had improved enough for lengthy visitors, that SHIELD had staged a shoot out to try and clear the area so they could find me. Romanoff and Barton had finished with each other, but that Clint had called my coms to no avail. That meant I was still underground. By that time, I had maybe two days left, less depending on how much oxygen was left in the cave around me. When they found me, I was skin and bone with a welt, infected, at the base of my skull, ribs which were healing in the wrong place. Because of the infection, my skin was on fire but I felt frozen. No matter what they did, I felt cold to the touch, something which still hasn’t gone away now. I was just conscious when they removed the slab which had been supported above me. The walls had caved, somehow managing to fall around me. Clint, apparently, dropped into the hole, and cradled me. I remember him cupping my cheeks, his hands so warm on my face, the rest of his body enveloping me in a sort of spiral of heat. Hell, Ward, I remember there being darkness, then light, followed by a flash of red, burning fire which spread across my vision. I nearly died for that mission, Ward. I lost three years through medically induced comas. I’d come out of one, be fine for a week, have a series of exhaustive seizures… Episodes, whatever, then I’d be put back under. The stress would have killed me but because I was found in time….   
“Physio didn’t help, mostly because there was nothing wrong. I was angry because I wasn’t allowed back into the field, until you came to talk to me about this, well, I didn’t know anything about it. I was elated. There was a chance that I would be able to get back into the field, and look where I am. I don’t expect you to feel sorry for me. I don’t want your sympathy. I don’t even expect you to understand-“  
“What happened with your brother?”  
“He got away clean, I saved the mission. That’s all there is to it.” Amilee went to reach for her cup, but his hand stopped her. As she’d spoken, Ward had walked around the pair of desks to her side. “…I was so cold. It was so, so dark…” Her eyes flashed open and Ward frowned as she stood up. Her eyes were vacant, her expression numbed as she walked towards the bedroom. He followed as she walked, pulling the light switch on in the bathroom and starting up the shower. He watched her turn up the temperature of the water and he frowned hard, watching the steam roll of the walls as the water it them. It wasn’t cold in the room but the water was so hot. He turned his back then frowned as he glanced over his shoulder, watching her step in, the shirt she’d been wearing discarded on the floor, under the stream. His eyes widened in horror; red welts appeared almost immediately.  
“Oh shit.” Ward said, watching her frozen. She was in there trying to warm herself up. And that meant she was in an episode. She was melting herself in front of him.  
He sprang into action, shutting the water off and turning on the cold taps of the twin sinks. Putting a large towel in each, the material soaked as he tried to coax Amilee out of the shower. She was now sat, shivering as her body took over, controlling the sudden heat increase. Her brow was covered in sweat and water, the sheen unpleasant and sickly on her cold skin.   
“Amilee… Barton… Agent..” He tried all variations of her name, shaking her shoulders gently. He cleared a space on the counter beside the sinks, turning off the taps. He wrapped a cold towel around her and she hissed, the sting against the patches intense in her mind, heightened by the place she was trapped in. Her feet were in worst shape, the skin nearly blistering as he picked her up gently. “…Amilee…” She was quaking, the towel shaking from her shoulders. It slipped to the floor and when he bent up from picking it up, she was in the middle of taking her underwear off. He couldn’t turn away, forcing himself to keep his eyes on her face.   
“Amilee, what are you doing?”  
“Cold, cold, cold.” She muttered, unable to keep from slipping further. “So cold.”  
“Not here. Not now. Not like this.” Ward said, turning her round so her legs hung over the edge of the counter. He stopped her hands, fixing her bra back up. “Amilee, I know you’re in there…” Carefully, he held her cheeks in the palms of his hands. The mantra she’d always repeated to herself caught him by surprise as he pulled it from the back of his memory. It had been what she’d murmured during the end of the episode he’d first seen. “Not here, Amilee. Not now, Amilee…”  
“Not like this…” She said before she slumped forward. Ward caught her, arms under her shoulders. He brought her down onto the floor, laying her down carefully. He covered her with a towel, wrapping the other around her feet carefully.   
“Dammit.” He looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and swore. They’d missed the breakfast. The next appointment would be the dinner but something in his mind triggered the reminder of the dinner he’d promised the Carlings during their drinks the previous evening. He glanced back at Amilee, and closed his eyes, centring himself. He picked her up, cradling her body against his, then put her in the bed, towel over her, duvet over both of them.   
“You can go to sleep… I’ll talk to Coulson.” He muttered, moving her damp hair from her face. Grant walk back into the bathroom, picking up a small towel. Lifting her head, he tucked the towel behind it, and then, body moved by something in his gut telling him it was the right thing to do, Grant kissed her forehead gently, brushing her cheek with his thumb.


	14. Chapter 14

Meanwhile, the rest of the team were sat in silence, several jaws on the floor. Coulson looked around at the younger members of his team, breathing evenly. Skye felt sick to her stomach. Part of her was suddenly glad she didn’t know what had happened in her own past. In the short space of time she’d had to get to know Amilee, there had been an inkling of macabre intrigue into who and what had caused her to be so ice cold but now… Now she knew the truth.   
“I didn’t know…” Simmons spoke first, however, looking at Fitz who was trying to pic his jaw from the floor.   
“No one did. She’s never told the full story before.” Coulson lifted his eyebrows sympathetically. “She doesn’t know that any of you know. Skye, I assume that means you’ve managed to patch through the sound feeds from the whole hotel or just their room?”  
“Just their room at the moment, sir. I…”  
“Don’t think about it. As far as they are both aware, nobody aside from me knows the truth of what happened. You heard nothing. Skye, I want you to keep working on the sound patching, we need that up and running before tonight. We need to know what’s going on.” He turned to Fitz-Simmons. “What’s the matter?”  
“…Nothing sir.” Simmons said too quickly, but Coulson ignored it.   
“How are those ideas coming along?”   
“Good-“   
A screen call popped up, interrupting him. Skye put it up onto the projector that they had, transferring the call over to the tablet so she could get back to work on the sound and picture.   
“Agent Ward… I wasn’t expecting a call quite so soon.” Coulson folded his arms, knowing that Fitz-Simmons had left. The device was nearly finished, nearly ready. They needed a couple more hours… And to find the man that they were looking for, which meant that Amilee and Ward had to get back out amongst the people attending the event.   
“…It’s Agent Barton, sir. She… She had episode to the point of self-harm, sir. One moment she was fine, the next she was standing under a scalding shower and the skin on her feet has started to blister.” Ward sighed, biting his lip as he looked at Coulson. Somehow, he managed to maintain eye contact. Coulson’s jaw twitched and he looked at Ward.  
“You know that hasn’t happened since the beginning of her treatment?”  
“And I know you know she told me everything. Well, nearly everything. She’s still hiding something, but I’m sure you know that.” Ward shifted, glancing up. His attention returned quickly but Coulson still pried.  
“Something more important, Agent?”  
“No, sir.” Grant shook his head, ignoring the second knock. “…Unless I’m allowed to go and see what it is?”  
Coulson nodded, lips pressed tightly into a thin line as he folded his arms. Ward disappeared from shot, a large brown paper bag in his arms. He pulled out several food containers, looking in each one.   
“Just room service, sir.”  
“Okay. Now, Amilee is in…”  
“Bed.” Ward nodded, using one of the shining silver forks to hook out a portion of egg. “I think she needs to stay there until she’s recovered. I can’t have a non-functional agent.”  
“She’d kill you if she heard that.” Skye muttered and Coulson smirked, hiding the facial feature as Ward raised a quizzical eyebrow.   
“…What do you suggest I do, sir?”  
“I suggest you, alone, attend dinner tonight. I think it would be wise if you didn’t shun them completely. There’s nothing to suggest…” Coulson turned to look at Skye who nodded, pointing at another energy spike. Fitz-Simmons came rushing in, yelping about the energy spike. Ward dropped his fork, causing a surge of feedback. His mouth moved on the screen.   
“Oh crap.” Skye frowned at her screen, tapping another line of code. She searched, scrolling up the lines of code to find the problem. She typed in a reverse, trying to realign the contact. Ward texted through a message, his phone in one hand as he tried to eat a sliver of bacon.

“The energy spike scanner just went mental. It looks like we might just have found the man we’re looking for.”  
“It also just threw our sound out…” Skye looked back Simmons who just shrugged her off, looking at Coulson with glee. “This read out just came through the scanner. He’s based down in the kitchens by the looks of things. We were looking in the wrong place, the whole time.” Simmons frowned, walking around in front of Coulson to get his attention. “Sir?”  
“Yes, Simmons?”  
“They need to get down to the kitchens. He’s there. We can take the device. It has to be him!”  
“I thought that it was just the cold storage, but ice blast we just recorded was too big just to be the opening of the industrial freezer they have. It has to be him.” Simmons said, waving it at Coulson.  
“Barton is currently indisposed, Simmons. She’s not going anywhere.”   
“How will…” She looked at Ward. He could still hear them and he was shaking his head.

“No. We won’t. She needs to complete this mission or termination is implemented, effective immediately upon her recall. I will not lose any member of this team, do you have that?”  
Ward nodded solemnly, swallowing as he looked at Coulson. 

“It won’t.”  
Oh, come on, Skye thought, waiting for Ward and Barton to make an appearance. It was day three. After Amilee’s panic attack, her worst since the one in the lift. There had been nothing but radio silence. Ward had ended the call quickly, looking up and over the laptop. He had been frowning, then the screen went black with a message to Coulson saying:

Gripping the table with her hands, she paused, looking up to see Coulson staring over her shoulder.  
“Still nothing?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow as there was a brief flicker of movement in the room. Nothing came of it; just the curtain flickering in the breeze which came from the open window, the tall French style door. They were far too big to be windows, although they didn’t quite reach the floor. Coulson frowned, getting Skye to zoom in with a point. She did so, highlighting the area and making the picture clearer. She heightened the clarity, removing pixels from the screen with another string of code. They continued to flutter, and from behind the thin material, the window could be seen. Skye tilted her head, ignoring Fitz’s smirk in the background. He looked back down at his work, ignoring the heated look from Simmons. He licked his lips, looking over his notes slowly. He nodded to himself  
“Got it!” He said, shoving his notes and designs under her nose. “There. Like that.” He pointed at the various chemicals, showing how they reacted together.  
“No, Fitz. The exothermic trajectory has to be safe for both Barton and Ward, and there is also the potential hazard of by-standing civilians. The explosion has to be controlled.”  
“We’re building a bomb…”  
“I wouldn’t put it like that.” Simmons muttered, looking down at her notes, then at his, comparing their findings. “If we changed that…” Coulson watched them exchange small smiles and then grin widely. Good, they were making proper progress.  
“Sir… Why is the window open?” Skye asked, sitting back as she yawned. She could hear him over the radio silence through the headphones.  
“I don’t know where they are; we’ve lost radio contact and visual is dicey. We lost them to an energy spike yesterday and another in the middle of the night. It caused a pulse which knocked the cameras off alignment so we have nothing, May.” Coulson said, speaking into his mobile. He was pacing behind her, talking to May who had been trying to get through to the Hub to activate the emergency protocols. “If they could shed any light on the situation, that would be useful.”  
Skye coughed, choking on her swallow of tea.  
“Girl’s got game.” She managed to get the words out as she swallowed. She peeled her head phones off, chucking them onto the table with a hard wince and disgusted shiver. “Oh.. Ewww…” Some things were best unheard through equipment with perfect clarity.   
“Hold on… We might have something.” Coulson stopped his conversation, gesturing for Skye to unplug so that the room could hear too. “I think it’s them… I can’t be too sure. I hacked into an interface and switched the sound feed from whichever room it is to us so that the hotel won’t hear anything. It does, however, mean we can.”   
Coulson looked at her, and then at Fitz-Simmons who stopped what they were doing, dropping their diagrams. They had been about to move to the adjoining suite to get some peace and quiet. The team had commandeered the third floor opposite to Barton and Ward’s shared apartment. The rooms had been stripped bare but it meant that Fitz-Simmons had been able to set up a make shift laboratory, and Simmons shared the room with Skye, their blow up mattresses and sleeping bags stacked in the corner. Fitz was alone in their main room and Coulson had been given his privacy in a small box room with a proper, full size single bed.   
“What is it, Skye?”  
“It’s… A little explicit.” She said, wincing as she pulled out the ear phone jack. Moans filled the room and both Fitz and Simmons looked at each other, colouring up. Coulson’s face remained expressionless and he looked at his phone, shutting the call off quickly.   
“A little?!” Simmons was horrified, face scarlet as she looked at Skye. “Turn it off!”  
“I can’t. I’d lose the connection and if I try again, the firewalls would activate with an even more difficult coding and we don’t have time for me to do anything about that!”   
“Nothing at all?”  
“Nothing.” Skye shook her head.   
“Not even turning down the volume?” Fitz said, walking over to the sound system and twisting the dial. “Was it really that difficult?”  
“Okay…” Coulson paused, rubbing his face with his palms. “Oh come on…” He rolled his eyes, biting his lip as he looked at Skye. “It’s not them.”  
“How would you know!?”  
“I don’t… But Ward. Well, he doesn’t go in for any of that sort of contact… With anyone.”  
“He had no problems snogging Amilee’s lips from her face the first night they were here…” She said and Simmons nodded in agreement.  
“You couldn’t really blame her. He is a bit… dreamy.”  
“Not Thor dreamy. But in a sort of ice cold, kind of I could kill you with one look… Dreamy.” Skye said, muttering as she smiled. The look turned sour as she caught sight of Coulson’s face.   
“And Agent Barton would be in no fit shape. If it’s as bad as Ward said, then she’ll still be recovering from the episode”  
In fact, Amilee was out on the balcony, admiring the view of the small gardens which the building had at the back of the hotel. Ward had gone to ask about any mail and the possibility of the pair of them viewing the gallery. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her. It was that he didn’t trust himself. She ran her fingers through her hair, combing out a couple of tangles. A sight sigh escaped her, and she frowned, thinking back.   
That morning, she had woken up in Ward’s arms, curled up against the furnace of his body, head resting on his shoulder. When she had stirred, he had smiled down at her, offering the rare upward curve of his mouth. She had made to sit up but he had kept her down, bringing her back. The room was stifling, the heat making him woozy and unable to sleep.   
Grant had reached out as she squirmed in her sleep, caught in the throes of a nightmare. His hand had caught hers, fingers sliding together naturally. There had seemed nothing wrong as he moved, turning to spoon her, wrapping an arm over her t-shirt clothed stomach. Once folded around her cool form, he had fallen asleep almost immediately. There had been another instance where she’d calmed at his touch and it was then that she’d curled around him, their legs intertwined.  
Amilee returned to the present at the sound of something being knocked over from within the room. She made to turn when darkness fell as a hood covered her head. She screamed.


	15. Chapter 15

“Sir, we have visual…”   
“Of…” Coulson brought it up on the screen, eyes searching at more flickers of movement. “Switch to camera 3.” That was the camera which viewed the lounge from the bedroom. They watched a man who was neither staff nor Agent Ward enter, sliding what must have been a skeleton card key from reception into his pocket. Skye sucked in a breath, watching intently. Fitz and Simmons had also joined them, looking up at the screen. “Damn.”  
“We have a breach, sir!”  
Simmons said, reading the energy spike.  
“We’ll have to be careful with the equipment… Can we contact agent Ward?”   
Coulson shook his head, looking at Simmons, a flicker of worry crossing his face.  
“No.” He kept shaking it. “Not without breaking his cover.” The team waited with baited breath as the man darted to the wall by the open window. He pulled out a hood from his pocket, shaking it out too hard and knocking a tiny vase, like the ones found on breakfast trays, onto the floor. Amilee appeared in a pair of modest shorts and a plain black t-shirt, frown apparent on her face. The man took his opportunity, lashing out and sliding the hood over her head. She twisted, trying to writhe away from him as they got tangled in the curtains. Skye watched as Amilee tried to scramble away but her ankle got trapped in the hooded man’s grasp.   
“Sir, what do we do?”  
“…We let her go.” Coulson said, eyes never leaving the screen.  
“What?” Skye stood up, looking at him with fear-widened eyes. She swallowed nervously, biting her lip as she waited for some kind of reaction. Amilee was hit across the back of her knees just as she stood, then again at the base of her skull. She crumpled onto the floor and Coulson finally averted his eyes.  
“Don’t, Skye. We’ll just make things worse.” Coulson walked away from the team, heading into his little room, phone back at his ear.

Amilee shivered, breath coming out in short, ghosting pants. Her heart was somewhere around her toes and she prayed she wouldn’t vomit as she came to, her head spinning. All around her was darkness as her eyes fluttered open beneath her hood.   
“No…. Notherenotnownotlikethisnotherenotnownolikethis.” She muttered, breathing growing faster and faster. Amilee found herself in bright light, the hood gone from her head. There was a naked bulb hanging from the ceiling and she kept her eyes from it until her vision had adjusted. The panic set as she felt the ice cold cut of metal in her wrists. She was shackled to a straight-backed chair. She inhaled deeply, but the blindness rose in her, clouding her vision.  
“Oh no, my Amilee.” A voice called out and suddenly the ice cold was no long at her wrists, it was on her face. Frozen lips passed over her forehead and across both of her cheeks before settling on her own lips. An involuntary shudder passed over her and she swallowed, trying to turn her head, to kick out and get free. She slumped forward into the grip of her captor, not recognising the voice that spoke.  
“Hush now. Not here. Not now. Not like this. Say it with me.” The voice continued, stroking her cheeks gently as placed another, longer, slower kiss to her mouth. “Not here, not-“  
“Now. Not like this.”  
“…That’s right. Yes.” He nodded, smiling softly as she blinked at him. He was still masked, a hood pulled up to hide his hair. He moved and she caught sight of his eyes, which glinted as they caught the light.  
“…Matthews…” She swallowed nervously, jerking her wrists.  
“Amilee…” He pulled his head down, smiling at her, his hood tugged down by hands which here slowly turning blue, the colour seeping up his arms, spreading from his fingertips. It was fascinating to watch and she found herself hypnotised. “I had hoped to spare you from this. I did try to warn you not to come, to stay at base or even the Hub.” Matthews sighed, watching her carefully. She shook the shackles again, trying to wrench her hand free. “Don’t!”   
“Why should you care?!” Snapping, she glared at him, eyes narrowed and he sighed, tilting her chin.   
“Because it’s what I do, Amilee. I made it good for myself. I made a life from something terrible which I did a long time ago. You know how that feels, I know your entire story. I know that you relive that moment every night. I even know that you find solace in the touch of Agent Ward, even in the brief time you have been together here.”  
“How-“  
“Because I am not unintelligent as he would have you believe me to be.” Matthews pulled up another chair and sat beside her, placing his hand over hers. She couldn’t do anything to get away. “You know, I always admired you, even when you were still recovering. Your sessions were just fascinating.”  
“I trusted you!” She tried to shift the chair using her weight, but she couldn’t quite make it.   
“Please, Amilee, this is going to be hard enough to try and not kill you, but I think I’ve worked it out.” His tone changed, cutting through her for just a moment before returning to normal. “I need to bring SHIELD down, but I can’t do that without your help and we can start by destroying your little team. I need you to be with me because you understand everything I’ve been through. You could say, I practically lived through them with you.”  
“No. You will never understand… Never.”  
“Oh? I can help you get through it all.” His hand was tight over hers, and her breath caught in her throat as he lifted his hand to stroke down the curve of her neck and shoulder. “I want you to go just go back to how it was before… I want us to know what the future holds for a pair like us.”  
Amilee’s breath caught in her throat and she swallowed. “Matthews, let me go… I will end you if I have to.”  
“How, you can’t escape, and I don’t see you leaving my side for a while. No one knows you’re down here. I was too careful. Your tracker is in the bin at the hotel on the opposite of the road, and your phone… Well, let’s say it went for a swim in the river.” He laughed at his joke, frowning as she didn’t join him.  
“This is twisted, Matthews. I should have known there was something wrong with you…”  
“I saw you kiss Ward like you meant it. It’s such a shame it’s not reciprocated.” He sighed, looking at her with something akin to pity. Her lip started to curl, and she started to growl in her throat.  
“There is no use acting like this, Amilee. It will not get you anywhere.” Matthews stood up, and she shuddered in relief as her circulation brought hot blood flooding down into her hand. Her fingers itched and she rubbed them against the edge of the seat. Where were they? Surely someone had been watching, waiting to see if they were back. There hadn’t been any energy spikes, at least, she didn’t know if there had been any more energy spikes.  
“You see, Amilee. I can do this thing, well, it’s more like a party trick. I know you’ve noticed that I’m cool to the touch but only because you run at a higher temperature to others. I bet you love your metabolism. You can eat anything and remain as lovely as you are now. Agent Ward, however, proved a bit of problem. He runs hotter than you and I’m sure you loved that, but Amilee, you need to be kept cold. You need to re-establish a normal temperature, to help your brain recover.”  
“How did you know?” She piped up, interrupting his monologue.  
“How did I know what?” He smiled, and the leer made her shiver. That was also familiar. Vaguely.   
“How did you know where to hit me to knock me out?” She asked, wincing as the welt, which had filled out with a lump from the blow it had received, hit the back of the chair.  
“Oh… That was in your records. Sensitive behind base of skull, treat with caution and deliver necessary blow in case of extreme danger.”  
“That’s on my file?”  
“Of course not.” He laughed, grinning at her as he shook his hands out. Tiny shards of ice flew from his fingertips.   
“No?”  
“I made it up. You’ll have to get use to the humour… I’m afraid I explode when I’ve kept things inside too long.”   
“…No…” She looked at him. “I remember reading the case file now. I remember reading about you. You were the one code named-“  
“Two-Man Popsicle.” He pursed his lips, sucking in a breath with a whistle. “Not their finest moment.”  
“People said, eyewitnesses said that you had been perfectly pleasant, then all of a sudden you started acting like a mad man… How did you change your face?”  
“Oh, I don’t know. It just happens sometimes, usually after one of these… Episodes.”   
A shudder ran down Amilee’s spine and her skin leapt from its muscles.   
“Oh, now…”  
“You grew obsessive with something until it snapped a little part of you. Like snapping the glow stick to start the light, right?”  
“Yes.” He rolled his eyes, exasperation clear on his face. “Honestly, you are, or rather will have been and agent of SHIELD, not a four year old.”  
Her nostrils flared. “Did you just call me a four year old?” She wriggled her wrists again, and the manacles shifted to an easier position where she had more movement in them. She hissed, slicing the skin above her wrist joint on a sharp edge of one of the cuffs.   
“Matthews. You need help. SHIELD can give you that help. You’ve given that help.” She said, trying to reason with him. There was panic resettling itself in her stomach, drawing her sanity towards it. She did not want to break. Not now. Not here. Not like this.

“Amilee?!”   
Her name was called out, the sound faint in the cavernous underneath of the basement. There were no cars here, but the smell of rubbish was only faint, like the lingering scent of mothballs on old clothes.  
“AMILEE?!” This time, it was a little louder, but a different voice, higher, more feminine. She couldn’t make them out.  
“AMILEE!” Her eyes flickered shut for a moment, then they opened and a blinding white light filled her vision. As she blinked hard, Clint’s face filled her vision, his hands searing the skin on her cheeks.   
“Oh thank God… Thank God I’ve found you.” He looked her over, brushing dirt carefully away from her skin. “Lee… You need to stay awake.” His grip was rough on her shoulders, and he yanked her upwards.  
“Barton!”  
“Yargh…Rargh herera” The sounds tumbled out of her mouth, nonsense sliding over her tongue as her head lolled in his arms. The medics frowned, looking down on the scene, at the agent in his arms. She wouldn’t make it.  
There was blood, a sticky patch slicking the back of her neck. Clint pressed gentle fingers to the source of the patch, following it up to what could only be described as a dent in her head.  
“No.” He shook his head, blinking away the sharp sting of tears as he turned, looking at Romanoff. She was there beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not leaving her.”   
Amilee looked up at her brother through unseeing eyes, just able to make out his shadow in the blinding white blanket. There was a flash of fire and she screamed, loud enough for someone to yell her name again.  
“AMILEE!” Ice draped over her skin. She was no longer in the chair but on the floor, cradled in Matthews’ lap. He kissed her forward, feeling the sweat drip onto the back of his hand as he rocked her gently.   
“Hush now, sh-sh-shhh.” He swallowed, glancing around as he looked down at his hands. As he held her scorching frame, there was more water appearing in a puddle around them.   
“No. No. No.” Matthews shook his head. “Not now.” The colour was receding back down his skin, his arms returning to his normal tone of colour. The blue lingered in his fingers. He pushed her away, staring at them in jaw dropped horror. He ignored her limp body on the floor, pacing in a circle around her as he stared at his hands, willing the cold to come back. He needed it to end SHIELD so he could be free to live, no longer hunted by the organisation. He waited, then hoisted Amilee back into the chair, propping her up and redoing the shackles around her limbs. She would not move.


	16. Chapter 16

Ward paced the floor, unknowingly only hundred feet above them. He’d made more excuses to the gallery and the woman he’d been discussing his proposals with at the bar in the restaurant; the text alert had been loud and ignoring the dirty looks, he had called Coulson to find out what the problem was. There was no other reason for Coulson to call, other than the mission being cancelled. Ward climbed the stairs slowly, frowning as he listened to Coulson speak, the man’s voice hiding the slight hint of panic. If the unshakeable was wobbling, then something was severely wrong.  
“…Sir, can you…” He stopped, looking at the door. It was open, the handle twisting in his grasp. Ward stepped in, phone falling to the floor, drawing his gun. He’d felt uneasy as he’d gone down to meet with this woman, one who had hidden behind a slightly thicker veil. He didn’t know she was or could be but he’d met her armed anyway. He reached down slowly, fishing in his pocket for his coms device which he fitted into his ear.  
“Ward?” Skye’s voice darted through his head and he nodded.  
“Yup, it’s me.” He hesitated, ducking back from the door as he caught sight of the vase. “There’s been a struggle-“  
“That’s what Coulson was trying to tell you, Ward… There was a, a, a confrontation.” He noted a strain of panic in her voice and taking a deep breath, he listened to her voice rise in pitch, speeding up so her words were a blur in his ear.  
“Sk-Skye. Skye…” He waited for a moment. “SKYE!” He yelled, wincing as he stepped out from his hiding place. He scanned the main room, then headed into the bedroom, searching beneath the bed and in the cupboards just in case he wasn’t alone.   
“…Ward?” Her voice was tiny, and he sighed, clenching his jaw.  
“I need you to set off Amilee’s coms unit. As in right now. Pass me over to May, or Coulson.” He said, swallowing as he bit his lip as he waited. “Skye, come on, we don’t have time to waste.” He heard the click and shuffle and was suddenly reassured when he heard the sound of Melinda’s voice in his ear.  
“I thought you’d run off and play the hero.” She said, words bitter in Ward’s ears.  
“Please, May, don’t do that now.”  
“Why haven’t you run?” She asked, and Ward cleared the bathroom as well. He walked back to the main living space, looking around it. He pulled a black leather glove from the pocket of his coat and made for the little vase, the remnants scattered by the still open window.   
“…I think she was hit over the head by a…”  
“She wasn’t, Ward. She was just hit in the back of her skull to stop her from getting up. Honestly, we have no idea where she is right now.”  
“None at all?” Ward frowned, standing up as he saw the partially torn curtain; part of the top was no longer attached to the top. It must have fallen when Amilee had been taken.  
“May, what’s the plan?” Ward stood up, lifting an eyebrow as he looked out of the window. Dodging the ceramic fragments, he stepped out onto the balcony, looking out at the view.   
“You’re going to meet us in the adjoining refuse area. This buildings been abandoned so the hotel just kind of took over the entire underfloor work space.” She said.   
“When?”  
“ASAP, Agent Ward. We expect you down there in the next few minutes.”  
The refuse area was huge, and as Ward picked his way through it, he thought he caught sight of another door. He paused, head flicking to left as another round of voices entered, bodies following the variety of voices. There was a definitive English accent and a Scottish one which came not long afterwards.  
“Simmons, you’ll drop it!” Fitz rushed forward to catch the top layer of the device which was sliding from its precarious perch. Her eyes flashed from the device and she spotted Ward. He tensed, shoulders lifting noticeably as she called out his name. The group paused and Skye smiled, breathing out. That was a good thing. Ward would be able to find Amilee, bring her back to the team. And if they found Amilee, she was adamant that they would also find their mystery ice man. Ward looked at them and nodded.   
The group reunited in the middle of the area. There was no movement for several moments, all of them looking at each other. Coulson sighed, stepping forward.  
“Agent Ward.” He nodded once in acknowledgement, looking at each of them in turn. There was a tension in the air, electricity crackling upwards. If someone shifted, the bubble of energy moved with them. A nervous shiver slipped down Ward’s spine and he looked at Coulson.  
“Sir, what are we going to do?”  
“The plan goes like this… We’ll place the device somewhere nearby, preferably as close to the target as possible. Although Fitz-Simmons have extended the range of the device, we have no idea how effective the actual end result will be. This means that Agent Barton will be at risk if she is with the same man.”   
“Are we definitely sure she was taken by-“   
Melinda interjected. “We’re about as sure as we can get. “ There was a brief pause. “You know we went into this mission without much prior intelligence and we don’t know if this bomb-“  
“-Containment device-“ Fitz cut in, looking at her with a slight frown. She paused, lifting an eyebrow as she made to step towards him.   
“Bomb, incendiary device… It doesn’t matter!” Ward exclaimed, biting his lip as he looked at Coulson, desperation sliding onto his expression. Coulson looked around the circle again, folding his arms.   
“We need to establish Amilee’s whereabouts before we make any attempt at a rescue. Agent Ward, I expect you to remember what was said on the report.”  
He nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. “Fixation followed by freezing fire.”  
Coulson nodded. “Correct. Skye, I want you to stay here with Fitz-Simmons. Myself, Ward and May will begin to scout on foot as we wait for Amilee’s tracking unit to start. We’ll split off in three different directions, I’ll take centre, staying in the immediate vicinity; May, take the other side to investigate the service area of the hotel. Maybe they’ve kept her close by. Ward, head in the opposite direction. Fitz-Simmons, I want that device running by the time we find her. You’ll have to have it ready before we get near to the target. Skye, how close are you to tracking Barton’s location?” He looked at her and Skye swallowed at the stern look in his eyes. May and Ward both left swiftly, the urge to find their team mate becoming more important.  
“I… I’m not too sure. It’s telling me that she’s really close…” There was a faint beeping sound and Skye frowned, twisting on the spot to scan the room. “Looks like the Hub finally gave me access.”  
“You mean you couldn’t use your super-duper hacking skills?” Simmons lifted an eyebrow and barked out a laugh.  
“Simmons, that’s enough.” Coulson’s voice rang out and he paused, looking at Skye. “What’s the problem?”  
“I know where she is.”   
“May’s going to find her first.” Skye said, head flicking up as she took a step in the right direction; the scanner’s screen flashed a little brighter and the sound picked up in volume.  
“She’s close by but something’s shielding the signal.” Another dot joined Amilee’s on the screen, this one a pale blue in colour and it flashed intermittently unlike Amilee’s constant green.   
“I think we have…” Skye said, tilting her head to one side as she twisted the scanner. The dots didn’t move and she continued to walk forward in the same direction that May had gone. “Come on, come on, oh, come on.” She muttered and Fitz-Simmons started to set up the device. There were several loud crackles of loose energy, the static feedback from the looping wires causing the hairs on the back of Skye’s neck to stand upright. Hesitating, she turned in a full circle once more and the irregular blue dot froze in space and then began to jump about, darting around the stationary point of Agent Barton.   
“Oh hell no.” She shook her head, holding the screen up, pressing her nose against it to make sure what she was seeing was correct.  
“Sir…”  
Coulson looked back at over his shoulder.  
“I think I just found Doctor Matthews.”  
Melinda had peeled off from Ward, taking the door that he had passed on his way through towards them. She frowned, kicking it open. There was a loud clang and she stiffened, weight slung forward into a defensive crouch as she looked around. Her breathing was steady, her eyes flicking around several times before she moved so she could take everything in. There was everything to lose now. An agent was at risk. She didn’t stumble, dodging the rubble with expert footing. She climbed onto a large pile, then paused, dropping to her stomach. Her lip curled; the air was stale, the lingering scent of decay still present in the cavernous belly of hotel. Breath held, she crawled up the incline peering over the edge. She nearly gasped.   
Amilee was slumped in a chair. There were supports missing from it, the legs beginning to splay. It was precarious. As she sucked in a short breath, May ducked as the man turned to look at her. He must have missed as he turned back to his work, darting around. He stayed about three foot away from her, a maximum. May needed to get closer so that she could identify him. She slipped down, sticking to the few shadows that the cave provided. The pillars provided cover but sneaking between them was proving difficult.   
Matthews’ head whipped round and he frowned, lifting an eyebrow as he looked for the source of the disturbance. He hesitated momentarily, then darted forward to prop Amilee up again.   
“Oh, Amilee…” He stroked her hair gently, curling it briefly through his fingers before stepping back again. She was going to thaw him out again, so he was taking more precautions as he worked. He took another step back, breathing evenly and concentrating on the anger that was bubbling furiously in the pit of his stomach. An ice cold pool surged, freezing inside of him and he closed his eyes, drawing the feeling up and around his body. The colour was starting spread again, starting at his fingertips and toes.   
“…Hands up!”  
“…” He lifted his hands behind his head instinctively, clasping them against the back of his skull. “Melinda May.”  
She held her gun steady, stance sure as she aimed the weapon at his head. Matthews didn’t flinch as he turned, looking down the barrel into May’s face.  
“Step away and keep your hands where I can see them.”  
“It was unwise of Coulson to split you up, Melinda. I know you drink you problems away… You should have attended therapy.” Matthews’ eyes glittered, the irises the familiar grey despite the skin around them turning a pale blue.   
“I do not need help.” She remained calm, gesturing with the gun. “Get moving, Matthews.”   
“I will not leave my patient. She is my first and only priority. A gun to my temple is not going to move me.” Matthews remained where he was.   
“Matthews!” Ward yelled out, charging at him. Melinda leapt out of the way as Matthews span, shards of ice streaming out from his hands. He narrowly missed Amilee and the beam of frozen pieces stormed towards Ward who didn’t falter. Matthew’s cut the stream for moment, then turned up the volume, powering the ice at Ward’s chest. It caught him off guard and Ward found himself with his back on the floor. Matthews slumped forward and he braced himself with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. There was a groan from the floor and Ward was in the process of sitting up, hands pressed against his chest. His shirt was coming from the tactical gear he’d donned before meeting them. Fortunately, it had protected his flesh from some of the blast but his sleeves had not been so lucky. The fabric was fire retardant, but it wasn’t ice proof.   
Melinda stood up, and aimed her gun again as Matthews righted himself.  
“I wouldn’t, Agent May. It would prove nearly fatal, you see, I’m due an unfortunate…” There was groan as Amilee surfaced from the stupor she’d been knocked into. His head flicked over to her and he ran to her side, taking her hand.  
“Are you with me, Amilee? I’m sorry about before, you shouldn’t have made me angry.”  
She just moaned, wincing as she picked her head up. It lolled to the side and Matthews frowned, gently touching the back of her neck, sliding his hands up to the welt in her head. He pressed gently around it, trying to support her head. He grunted in frustration, and nearly slapped her but a hand closed around his wrist in a blink of an eye.  
“Don’t even think about it.” May growled, gun lost to the floor; when she had dived out of the way, the gun had slipped from her fingers, catching under a hillock of old clearance materials.   
“Why, would you be able to hurt me?” The colour had intensified in his arms and May leapt back, the palm of her hand scalded with the cold that reeled from his skin.   
“Apparently not.” She tried to curl her hand into a fist, testing out her dexterity as he looked briefly back at Amilee. She couldn’t even get it halfway closed. Ward was now circling them, breathing staggered as he tried to shake of the punching feeling of ice in his chest. He pulled back, head between his knees as he bent double. The feeling was causing breathlessness, and he was light headed, blinking. He stumbled towards Amilee’s chair and was caught in another blast, this one slightly weaker. He heard a yell, and glanced as May went sprawling across the floor. She’d been caught by Matthews’ next blow as she   
“MATTHEWS!” Coulson ran in with the rest of the team. As Fitz-Simmons stopped, Skye kept running, heading for Ward.  
“We can work something out!” He said, catching Matthews’ attention with a carefully placed hand gestured. Skye stopped has Matthews turned his gaze onto her.   
“Don’t move. None of you move!” He shouted, all of them were frozen in place. Skye took another step forward and sharp, controlled trail wrapped itself around her feet. “I thought I said not to move.”  
“We can help you.” Simmons said, looking at her colleague with disappointment and pity written across her forehead in the creases which were forming as she waited with Fitz. She was partially shielding the engineer as he worked quickly, trying to finish setting up the device.  
“Matthews, you’ve harmed enough people. God knows what you’ve done to Agent Barton but Ward and May don’t need to be hurt any further.” Coulson said, tone even as he looked at the doctor whose breath was faster, chest starting to rise and fall rapidly as he became more worked up. “There are plenty of ways you can get past this. We can help, we have specialist in these subjects. You were one yourself. You made something of yourself… What brought this on? Was it working in close proximity to another like yourself?”  
Skye frowned upon reaching Ward, she pulled him out of the way, helping him to walk.   
“Honestly, you have got to be kidding me. It’s Matthews.”  
“I’m just as surprised as you are, Skye.” Ward coughed up a small amount of blood.  
“Woah there, Grant.” Skye rubbed his shoulder, her tablet discarded on the floor beside them. “…He must have, I dunno, punctured a lung or something.”  
“I-I’ll be fine… We need to get him contained.”  
“What we need is to get you, May, and Amilee out of range. You’re too close for Fitz-Simmons to release the device safely.”  
“Amilee is going to be in range, wherever we get her.” Ward gritted his teeth, pushing Skye away as he regained his balance. Skye glanced at Matthews who was entirely focused on Coulson. She didn’t understand how the man could be so calm in the face of danger. But then, she looked at Ward who had a similar expression to Coulson’s but his gaze was fixed on the limp body of Amilee, who was too far gone to be of any use.   
“Then we get her to the edge?” He stared at the other agent, waiting for any response as he waved his hand, trying not to attract the attention of Matthews. Coulson had to keep talking to him. “I’m going to move her. You’re going to help Coulson keep Matthews occupied until I can get close enough to Amilee to pull her free. It’s going to take some time though… Are you ready for this?”   
Skye nodded, hand stuffed into her pocket, fingers curling around something small inside of it. Ward looked at Skye as she put a hand on his forearm. She gave it a light squeeze.  
“She’ll be okay, Grant. She’s hardy.” She gave a nervous swallow, turning back to watch the events unfold until she needed to play her part. She didn’t remove her hand from his arm, grip tightening as Matthews started to pace in circles.  
“You’re dangerous to the people around you like this, Matthews.” Coulson said as he as he took a step towards the nervy man. The frozen colour was intensifying as the situation grew graver, as Matthews began to find agitation with every little movement. “I’m asking you to come with us. We can get you help. Think of all the people who you helped. Think of all the people who you could have helped, who you still could…” He glanced over at Amilee, taking a further step forward. “What did you think would come from helping her… She can’t be helped, Matthews, why do you think she was in a facility?” His tone harshened, ringing through the space. There was a brief yell, and the hum of a generator started. It wasn’t one of the hotels but the quiet murmurs and excitement from Fitz-Simmons told him all he needed to know. It was time.  
“Because everybody needs a chance. We’re not supposed to give up on anybody.” Matthews swallowed audibly. He tried another blast, aiming it wildly. It caught the overhead light, and the light sputtered, flickering slowly back into life. There was a pause, a collective inhale as he tried again, this time unsuccessful as he lost his attention to the light which swung. His shoulders slumped a little bit.  
“That’s what we’re offering, Matthews.” Coulson stopped, still several feet away from the doctor. He’d walked him around, moving him closer to the device that Fitz-Simmons were regarding with analytical stares, waiting for it to start up completely.  
“What are you doing to me?” He asked, watching as Simmons reached forward, fingers turning the dial on the top of the box.; it was cylindrical and appeared to separate into several plates.  
“We are just giving you a way out, Matthews.”  
“You are going to restrict me…” His blast was even weaker, pathetic as he tried to aim a strike at Coulson who didn’t even flinch; it was only a wash of cold air.  
“We are just going to help. Sometimes… Restriction is the best medicine. We will do everything we can to help you.” He waved behind his back and Skye caught the movement, looking at Ward.  
“Are you ready?” She whispered, nudging him in the ribs, hand finally leaving his arm. He sighed, shaking his head to clear it from the fog. The cold was beginning to seep through his body.  
She darted forward, placing her piece of device, a small circle with a gripping hook on the back. On contact, it started to heat gently using a small cell of energy. She walked backwards slowly, checking that the metal panel would hold. The box itself started to vibrate as the internal reactants took hold, the reaction speeding through its processes, producing a slight hint of smoke which issued through slats in the sides. The panel held a chip which read the temperature of the main console and relayed it to maintain a warm enveloping glow. The distance between Matthews and the entire device had closed, which meant that the apparatus worked faster to contain the power which was coursing through his body. Matthews yelled out in pain, a terrible itch spreading down through his clothes instead of the pleasantly cool burn of ice. It was like chilblains covered his entire body and he dropped to his knees, fists clenched tightly against his body. He looked up at Coulson who was now standing over him.  
“We can help.” He offered him a kind smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. Matthews’ head fell in defeat. He stayed there as May walked cautiously over. His hands were already crossed behind his back, the cuffs in her hands clicking smoothly into place. They both helped him to stand and he paused, looking back to where Ward had stood, his shirt in pieces, hanging from his protective gear. Amilee was spread over his arms, carried bridal style as Ward gave him a wide berth. Matthews bit his lip, chest heaving with exhaustion. He hoped that she would forgive him.   
Coulson watched him go, closing his eyes as he took a long, deep breath. Fitz-Simmons began to pack up the device, wincing at the warm side panel. Simmons caught her hand in a sudden burst of steam, hissing as she jumped back from it. Fitz reached around it carefully, turning the dial down slowly, then off to zero. The mixture was reusable, it just needed a tiny input to start the reaction, and then it would be effective again. Coulson frowned at the sudden vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone – private number – and swiped the screen to answer it. It was his personal phone; his work mobile was on silent.   
“Yes, this is Phil Coulson?” He answered, wandering after the group who were walking towards their building, walking up the slight slope to enter the lift. He listened intently to the conversation for a moment, then closed his eyes. “You have got to be kidding me.” He murmured under his breath. “Yes. I am still here… She can’t. I’m working… She’s got a what?!” He nearly yelled, curbing his voice as they entered the ground floor. He froze, looking around the room he had just walked into. The whole room had just stopped, a couple of jaws scraping the floor as Ward strode through towards the lifts, Amilee still hanging in his arms. Coulson groaned. They’d walked up the wrong stairs. Fitz-Simmons followed May quickly, copying her as they kept their heads held high, the box cradled in Fitz’s arms. SHIELD would clear up any messes, protocol had to be followed. Any guests would be made to sign documents of secrecy or have their minds wiped; how, none of the agents were quite sure.


	17. Chapter 17

Amilee woke with a squirm, finding herself in someone’s arms. She remembered sitting in the chair and Matthews…. Matthews!  
“MATTHEWS!”  
“Sh…Sh.” She ignored the voice, trying to get free as her hands formed fists, pummelling at the hard chest, trying to shove her way free. “Hey!” The grip on her wrists tightened for a moment, then fell away, leaving her alone to scrabble to the other side of the bed. She stayed there, shivering, her eyes fixed on a spot in front of toes.   
Ward looked at her, biting his lip as he waited for to recognise something about the room.  
“…It’s okay, Amilee.” The hand he reached out was swept away, pushed to the side. He watched her carefully, releasing his lip as his hand was scooped up by cold fingers. His eyes flicked down, then trailed up her bare arm to her face. “It’s-“  
“It’s okay.” She nodded. There was a tremble that remained in her fingers and she swallowed, licking her lips to wet them. It wasn’t the episode, it was nerves. “…I know.”  
“Okay?” Ward asked slowly, looking at her with caution. She was dressed in little; a cotton t-shirt and small pair of shorts. She didn’t shiver, but she just quivered slightly still.   
“What happened with Matthews? I…” She frowned, looking down at her toes, wiggling them in the sheet.   
“You had several episodes.” Ward said, dropping her hand as he sat back, leaning against the bed. Amilee blinked, looking around the room she was in. It was identical to her room on the plane. It was identical to the room they had shared before but smaller. Somehow, it was smaller. She frowned, forehead lining as she turned, back pressed against the wall. They were on a double bed, sheets in the official black and grey that was standard issue to agents.  
“How… What?”  
“Matthews was the guy we were looking for all the time; he was hiding in plain sight. We’re not entirely sure how he even got through SHIELD. Fitz-Simmons are currently analysing blood samples.”  
“Woah.” She held her hands up, stopping him from continuing his story. He paused, frowning at her. Her head flicked up, and he frowned. She laughed at the piqued expression on his face, one eyebrow lifted and the other trying to frown.   
“What did I do?”  
“Just slow down…” She yawned, stretching as she lifted her back from the wall, arching with a slight whine. Ward shifted where he sat.   
“Why?” He lifted his eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest, his t-shirt clinging to the muscles beneath it. “I thought you didn’t need taking care of.”  
“I thought you didn’t need to care.” Amilee bit her lip as his face fell, and he looked away at her. “…Ward… Grant?” She asked, and he looked up. His gaze had heated, Adam’s apple bobbing with another swallow. Her eyes were drawn to the movement, and he watched her watching him.  
“I’m okay.” He said after a few moments’ pause, the silence thickening the tension in the room was cut by his words. “Honestly.” He nodded, confirming it for himself rather than her. She waited, eyebrows raised sympathetically. She’d been there before; every episode, once she’d recovered from it, she would have to reassure herself that it wasn’t real, that it was all in the past.  
“You don’t have to be, you know…” She paused. “It sounds hypocritical, but it’s true.” Amilee murmured. She knew her words were a contradiction of her actions. How she pushed people away every time she came around.  
“Don’t…”  
“Don’t what, Grant? Act like nothing happened between us?”  
“Nothing did.” He frowned, standing up.  
“Something did. You felt compelled to help me. You. Agent Grant Ward who doesn’t need anybody, doesn’t want anybody. Your better than everyone attitude is just a cover up. I saw that.”  
She paused for breath and Ward shook his head, folding his arms as he turned his back on her.  
“It’s crazy, Grant, but something tells me you didn’t just do that because I was in need. Put me to bed, yes. But hold me when I’m having a nightmare? Take off my make up because it was making a mess? Make me feel the warmest I’ve felt in the longest time? No. None of that. You took care of me because somewhere beneath that toughened shell of yours, you care about me.” Amilee crawled to the edge of the bed and looked at up at him, kneeling up so she neared his height. “Why did they change our beds around if we’re not something?”  
“It is just a recovery… A recovery situation. They didn’t want to risk your health any further!” He turned around, hands flying to her shoulders so he could steady himself. “…Sorry.”  
Amilee caught his hands, holding them warm against her skin. Her eyes searched his face, the pain evident in the lines that scoured his forehead. She took them down, placing his arms around her slowly. She wrapped her own around his torso, placing her head on his shoulder. As her heart rate slowed even further, Grant’s mimicked her own, reducing from the frantic fluttering to a steady, even lubdub. He held her against him, one hand leaving her spine to stroke her hair gently, smoothing his fingers through it. Amilee closed her eyes, limbs suddenly heavy as the exhaustion began to creep back into her body. His warmth was relaxing, comforting and she shifted, moving so her nose pressed against his neck. She breathed in the smell of faint aftershave and body wash. She frowned slightly, looking up at him.  
“You showered.”  
“How did you know?” He lifted an eyebrow, frowning as he looked down at her.  
“…You smell like body wash.” She paused, inhaling again. “You smell like me.” She said quietly, chuckling at the rumble of laughter which shook his chest.  
“Honestly?”  
She pulled back and nodded. “Yes. You do. We shared a bathroom, and SHIELD uses hypoallergenic stuff that isn’t particularly nice on the nose. But you…” She said, offering him a small smile which he returned slowly. “You have your own which is just delectable.” Amilee smiled as Grant stroked her back with gentle fingertips.  
“Right…” The uncertainty was clear in his voice but the fingers changed to palm as he smoothed over her back. In a bold gesture, he took her chin, lifting it so he could look into her eyes. He ducked his head, pressing his mouth to hers gently. It was sweeter than the other kisses they had shared, and Amilee wound her arms around his neck, taking her time. Grant smiled as she started to respond slowly. Their mouths moved together and he moaned softly as her fingers grazed the sensitive spot behind his ear. His head twitched away and she pulled back, biting her lip.   
“Oh.” Her heart fluttered as he looked at her, a heated glint in his eye.  
“…That was…” He blew out a breath, stepping back, but Amilee followed him, standing on the floor.   
“Different to before?” She said after a moment, catching her lip on the moan that had tried to escape when his hand slid up to gently massage her neck. His fingers slid beneath her hair, kneading around the welt. She bit her lip on a soft moan, keeping it as she let her head loll back into his hand. He paused, looking down at her.  
“…It felt-“  
“Like it was supposed to.” She finished for him, watching a slight colour appear on his cheeks. “I guess it didn’t mean anything before to you… To us even.” She wet her lips again, and jolted in surprise as he took her mouth again in another kiss. This one was slower and hotter, his mouth coming to hers like a magnet drawn to its opposite. He slid his hands down and she tried to pour everything she could into the kiss. She was grateful for his understanding for his help. His hand edged lower, settling on her hip like it had before.   
“I think you can put that tongue to better use.” Amilee murmured, running her fingers up through his hair with a grin. He looked down at her, shaking his head.  
“We really shouldn’t be doing this.”  
“Oh, I think we should.” She smiled, fingers brushing his ticklish spot. His head twitched from side to side and she chuckled, feeling his fingers brush up and down her side. He had slipped his hands under her t-shirt, feeling her bare skin again. Hesitating, Grant paused, gulp noticeable as she brought her hand to bracket his cheek.   
“What’s wrong?” She blinked up at him, and he tilted his head down, giving it a slight shake.  
“I’m not… I can’t.”  
“But you did. I haven’t done anything, Grant. I just followed the lead you gave me.” She smiled, gently stroking his cheek. His eyelids flickered closed and she felt him relax, sliding her hands down over his shoulders, running her palm down his arms.   
“I must have had a rough night. You look how I feel.” She put some space between them, turning her head to stretch her mouth into a wide yawn.  
“You’ve been out for two days. You woke up…” He frowned, watching her disappear from the room. He followed, keeping a couple of paces behind her as she tried to lose him.   
“Amilee!”   
He turned the corner to sharply and found himself charging chest first into yet another teenager. Rather, the only teenager on the… There wasn’t a teen agent that work for SHIELD.  
He frowned, looking down at the girl who grinned up at him.  
“Who…”  
“You are gorgeous.” The girl flushed suddenly, swallowing as she picked herself up from the floor. She been minding her own business when she’d walked head first into an… Well, Tessa would call him an Adonis.  
“I assume you are…” He lifted an unimpressed eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. Her eyes wandered downwards, casting an admiring gaze over his lower body.  
“Who are you?”   
“I’m Tessa… Coulson.”  
“Daughter?”  
She laughed sharply. “No.” Shaking her head, she continued to chuckle as she looked up at him without embarrassment. “Daughter. HA! As if… Uncle Phil’s cool but he’s not cool enough to have me as a daughter.”  
“Right… Have you seen Agent Barton?”  
“Oh, do you mean the chick who was wandering around in a t-shirt and some really cute shorts? I’ll have to ask her where she got them. They look so good on…” She paused and Ward lifted the other eyebrow.  
“Were they your shorts?” Tessa laughed as Ward glared at her and she bit the inside of her cheek. “Right, Geez. I won’t try and have some fun.” She huffed, skirting around Ward with a grumble. Amilee appeared at that moment, her face appearing fresher than before. She’d spattered water on it, the ends of her hair just curling as it dripped slightly.  
“Where did you go?” He frowned as Amilee stepped up to him, pulling him into a hug. He tried to extricate himself but found the cool touch of her to him too inviting to ignore.   
“Two days without emptying my bowels is a long time to go, Ward. You mentioning it made my body go BOOM, you need to urinate! So I did what I was told to do. And to be honest, I feel a lot better now than I did five minutes ago.”  
“And that was far too much information.” Ward said as he pulled away from her. He paused, looking at her as if he was seeing her clearly for the first time since she had woken up. “I… I can’t…” He turned, walking back to their room, leaving Amilee to stand for a moment until she ran after him.  
“WARD!” She caught up and stood in the doorway, frowning at his back. “What’s wrong, you were happy five minutes ago!”  
“I can’t do this, Amilee… You’re bleeding.” He pointed to the cut on her wrist from the cuffs that was beginning to drip on the floor.  
“I’ll be alright. I’ve been through a lot worse.” Her fingers skimmed the welt in her head as she ran a hand through the dishevelled curls. “What’s wrong, Grant? You’ve been topsy-turvy today and I can’t take the yo-yoing, at least not for another couple of days.” He’d pulled on a pair of trousers and she bit her lip, watching him walk past her and out of the door. She just stayed where she was, letting him leave.


	18. Chapter 18

Several weeks past, and Amilee had found herself waking up to screeching nightmares on the sofa in the main living space of the plane. Ward had requested a separate room and the old room had been given to Tessa and Skye to share so he could have a single. She’d taken the sofa, and she was far enough away that she didn’t disturb many people. The only person that was ever awake was Coulson, or sometimes May who would be flying the plane. She swallowed, bringing her knees up. She missed the warmth that had just oozed from Ward’s body. He spoke to her in sharp tones, pushing her away without even trying. Her heart hurt and she didn’t realise why. He’d been kind to her, to the point of friendship with the possibility of more, and she missed that. The inclusion from Fitz-Simmons was nice and Tessa was funny but… But Coulson’s niece was starting to grate on her nerves, she was always commenting on every little thing that happened and she hadn’t let this Amilee and Ward thing go. She was apparently working an internship with SHIELD, something which Amilee suspected that the girl hoped would turn into a permanent job; following in her idol uncle’s shoes it would seem. As she got lost in her thoughts, she slumped back down on the sofa, blinking up at the ceiling. There was a scuffle and the chink of a glass and she turned to see Ward helping himself to a drink. It was a stiff one, straight whisky. He frowned, wincing as his hand started to shake, the glass wobbling. He slammed it down. The glass shattered, shards spreading across the surface, drink sliding across the surface. She swallowed, coughing slightly and he looked up at her, frown solid on his face. There was no quirk of a smile as she gave him a tentative one. He turned on his heel, marching away from her without a word. Amilee started to follow him, but paused looking at the drink sodden counter. No doubt, in the morning, she’d be blamed for the mess. She rummaged in the cupboards for a dustpan and brush and a cloth to clear up, wincing as she nudged the door shut with her hip. Breathing in shakily, she put her head in her hands once she’d finished clearing, trying to regain control. She would not cause another shut down. Amilee paused, looking at the sink. There was a knife in there, a small blade but it would cause enough damage, enough harm. Looking at it, she bit her lip, reaching for it. Contemplating what she could do with it. She didn’t want any more episodes, she didn’t need them.   
Just as her finger tips brushed the handle, she looked up.   
“I wouldn’t do that…” May stood in the door way.  
“Why should I listen to someone I used to respect?” Amilee said bitterly, picking the knife up regardless. Something had happened between Ward and May during a brief mission, one which required a pit stop on the ground, an overnight stop in a nice, but cheap, hotel.   
“What is that supposed to mean, Agent?” May looked at her, lifting her eyebrows. She stood up straight, arms dropping to her side.  
“I know that something happened between you and Ward… Who’s flying the plane?”  
“We’re on the ground,” May said as if it was obvious. It was in fact so, there was no hum of engines. Amilee paused, it had been too long. She’d been out of action for too long, the disaster of the mission finally hit home. She was responsible for the failure. She took several steps forward, staring Amilee down. “Nothing happened that concerns you.”  
“It concerns me if something has been done to endanger the team. Oh, wait, both of you don’t work with anybody but, apparently, each other is an exception.” Amilee’s lip curled as anger and disappointment started roll and bubble in her stomach.   
“Are you jealous?” She coughed, barking out a sharp jab of laughter and Amilee’s grip tightened around the handle of the knife.  
“I don’t understand, May? Something happened to Ward, you both leave the same hotel room?”  
“How do you know that, Agent? Or are these misplaced notions brought on by unrequited love?”   
“He’s not looked you in the eye for nearly three weeks now.” Amilee flipped the knife, catching it by the handgrip. “You obviously made some good declarations.” She tilted her head, lip curling slightly as May walked another few steps forward. Her pace was slow and considerate, and she had turned into a predator.  
“It was one night, Barton. And I find your words hypocritical.”   
“I don’t know what you mean.” Amilee flushed, looking away from May. She gripped the knife tighter in her fingers, knuckles paling as the blood rushed from them. “It was cover. We followed it through like we were supposed to.”  
“You know that you were never meant to survive this mission?”  
“What do you mean?” Amilee looked at May who poured herself a drink, letting the liquid trickle into a clean glass. She eyed the full dustpan and brush, smirking ever so slightly. “What did you do?” The older woman asked, casting an eye over it. “You were supposed to be terminated at the end of this mission, regardless of if you survived. When you were captured, there wasn’t much we could do. We were meant to leave you there, and Coulson nearly went through with the orders from the High Council. You were becoming a liability, Barton.”  
“Is that all you see me as, May? I know what happened with you in Bahrain. And not the academy version. I know that you went out and then changed because of what you saw! Why do you think I came to you first when I boarded this plane?” Amilee’s voice had risen slightly, and May lifted the other eyebrow, breathing still even unlike Amilee’s, which had quickened with frustration.  
“Coulson told you?”  
“No. I worked it out.” Amilee said sarcastically, the knife slipping through her fingers and she caught the blade, pain rippling over her palm. Blood started to trickle through her fingers, dripping onto the floor. May’s hand shot to her gun and her weight shifted, dropping to in a defensive position, fingers curled around the handle.   
“Of course he told me.” Amilee clenched her jaw. “Yes, I am a liability. I can see it when I talk to you, when or rather if I talk to Ward. Even Coulson. Tessa’s only been here for two months and you treat her practically like royalty”  
“She’s Coulson’s..”  
“No. Don’t do that.” Amilee shook her head and May pulled the gun from its holster at her hip. “You see the child in her that you once had in you. Whatever happened in Bahrain, that nearly killed you. And you’ve been trying to claw your way back, to continue surviving.”   
“You are out of line, Agent.”  
“You know what, I am sick of being a liability and to be honest, I can’t believe I thought that, just for one moment, I was suitable for somebody else to even think of some kind of romantic affection towards me. It turns out I was wrong. And I am sick. I am classed as in need of medical aid for insanity yet Coulson decided that I deserved a second chance. But if, according to you, I shouldn’t have had it, maybe I’ll take the easy way out. I’ll make your life easier and maybe that will just make you happy because I don’t know who cares about me anymore. Because I don’t… I don’t see the point in carrying on anymore when all I do is get in the way.” Her shoulders slumped and she lifted the blade, aiming it at her stomach, her t-shirt lifted to reveal the fit muscle beneath.  
“Barton. Put the knife down.” May raised her gun, pointing it at the knife, aiming for blade. Her jaw twitched; she needed to be at a better angle to shoot the blade from Amilee’s hand.   
“Why? So I can be an irresponsibility for the rest of you. I don’t want your pity any longer. I don’t think I want life any longer so SHIELD will get its wish. I’ll be terminated, but not on their terms. I will be terminated on my own.”   
Amilee brought the knife to her stomach and paused, tilting her head, looking down at it. She licked her lips, mouth dry as her mind worked through her options. She nodded to herself, then looking May in the eye, she pushed the blade through her skin, dragging it across her body. Her stomach burst, beads of blood welling, forming a dribble, which coasted down her skin. The knife slid deeper as Amilee wobbled, jarring the blade with a twist. The line was no longer neat but with a zig-zag where the blade sank in deeper. She caught her foot on the slight step and fell back, her head cracking on the edge.  
May dropped to her knees by Amilee’s side, pulling the knife free. Her heart was pounding and she searched Amilee’s eyes, slapping her cheeks. There was no response.  
“HELP! SOMEBODY!” May yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would come running. They did and Tessa appeared, turning away at the sight of the red fluid which was leaking from beneath the pillow. She coughed, retching as she held onto the door frame. May rolled her eyes.   
“SOMEBODY ELSE.” There was a thunder of footsteps and suddenly, the whole team appeared. Fitz-Simmons both froze then leapt into action, darting forwards. Coulson watched as Ward shook slightly, staring at Amilee’s body. She was coughing, choking on the vomit hat had raced up her throat. Skye appeared at his side, and he nodded. Skye took Tessa from the room, steering her away by the shoulders.   
Time had slowed for Amilee, her stomach searing with fiery pain. She jolted, spasms running through her body as she began to squirm, clutching at the gash in her stomach. The knife lay on the ground, untouched. She heard Simmons call for Ward’s assistance and he picked her up carefully. Fitz got the doors and they moved her quickly to the med-bay.  
Simmons retrieved an oxygen mask and a tank, turning it on and looping the mask over her head. Amilee no longer fought, she lay deathly still and Fitz swallowed, looking at Simmons with hard look.  
“We have to stitch her up.” Simmons nodded, watching Ward lay Amilee down slowly. May was still applying pressure. He paused, glancing at May over the table and a silent message passed between them.   
“I know, but Fitz… She’s supposed to…” She swallowed, glancing over her shoulder at Coulson.   
“We can’t afford to wait around.” A hint of urgency had entered Fitz’s voice and he looked at Amilee. “You have to go in now. She’s part of our group, she’s one of us, Jemma.”  
Coulson nodded, a slight smile passing over his lips. It was working. His team were now a team. Officially.  
“Then we get started.”  
There were hazy voices ringing in her ears, words floating through her dream-ridden mind.   
“Do we know how she is doing?”  
“It was a flesh wound but it was deep. She’s lucky there’s no chance of peritonitis.”  
“How was it brought on? She just did it? Or did she have some reason?”  
“I don’t know. One moment she was clearing up a mess and the next she was holding the knife. Then it was entering her stomach.”  
“She’s lucky.”  
“She’s got the devil’s luck. Her hand is healing well.”  
She liked one of them the best; it was a recurring dream, happening nearly every night, each moment identical. Ward was sat beside her. Her good hand held in his, thumb brushing the back of her hand gently and then, just before she fell into a deeper sleep, he brushed her forehead with his lips, pausing for a brief moment.   
“…I’m sorry…” He murmured, then left her alone. He stayed for only an hour or so, at least her fleeting sense of time dictated it at that pace.


	19. Chapter 19

There was a brief period of nothingness, and then Amilee’s memory suddenly began to function again. There had been no visit from a psychiatrist; she was just left to her own devices, but not completely. Wherever she went, Tessa appeared, asking a number of questions when she least expected it. In the middle of a chess game with Fitz, Amilee looked down to see Tessa knelt beside her. They were in a period of calm, no mission had come in for a long time, the coms quiet for the time being. Amilee was grateful of the chance to rest. The scar across her belly was becoming part of her and had finally reduced to a raw white line surrounded by only a touch of irritation. May had returned to her isolated self, and Ward. She sighed, making her move as Fitz’s pawn captured her own. Ward was still keeping his distance, busying himself with Skye’s training. She frowned at the board, taking the pawn with her bishop. Fitz wasn’t stupid as he ignored it, instead aiming for her queen with his king. She put him in check quickly, taking advantage of taking a protective knight.  
“Dammit.”   
“You should have been paying attention.”  
“But you jumped a piece!” Tessa said, frowning as she looked up at Amilee, who just shrugged.  
“I’m allowed to.” She pointed at the horse headed piece and demonstrated. “It’s like the knight is only allowed to move in an L-shape… Its restriction is countered by its additional ability.”  
“Like your and Ward’s social awkwardness is countered by how cute you look together?” Tessa smirked slightly, watching Amilee colour up as she looked, focussing on the board. “What happened between you two, you were so… So cute.” She shrugged and Amilee swallowed, ignoring the slight prick of tears in her eyes. For a moment, she lost track of the game, and was back in the hotel, back in Ward’s arms. She fast-forwarded through her memories to the way she’d woken back up, to the kisses that she had shared with him. The way he had felt, how she’d calmed his heart as he’d calmed her own pulse. Catching herself as her thumb lifted to run over her lip, she looked up at Fitz who was still puzzling over his next move, then glanced at Tessa.  
“You miss him, don’t you?”  
“He’s around all the time, Tessa.” She looked at the girl and shrugged. “I can’t miss him even if I tried.”  
Tessa smiled warmly up at Amilee, who rolled her eyes. “It’s like you two should just go out for a drink of something.”  
A sick feeling entered Amilee’s stomach and she winced, shifting around as she twisted her palm to look at the knife wound which had healed. She’d be left with a scar there as well; a bleak reminder of the harsh reality of how much help she needed. There was a flicker of memory to the fight she’d had with May. They’d slept together. Ward and May had… She swallowed down a slight bit of bile. It wasn’t the act, but the betrayal that made her feel ill. She pressed a hand to her belly, gently rubbing circles over the line. The wound still itched despite the miracle cream that Simmons had prescribed to her. Simmons frowned at the sound of the rubbing material and glared at her over her science journal.   
“You know you shouldn’t be doing that… If it’s still causing you pain, Amilee, I can always try a different treatment. You never know what might work.” She offered a brief smile, then turned back to the book to continue her note taking. Amilee exhaled slowly, closing her eyes to block everything out for a moment.  
“Are you okay?” Tessa’s voice cut through the sea of calm and Amilee paused, biting her lip. “I’m fine. Fitz, have you made that bloody move?” Her hands moved from her stomach to grip the edges of the seat tightly.  
“Yes.” He nodded, fingers finally leaving his piece alone. Amilee just followed, trying to close his king in against a corner or the side of the board, leaving him with no options. Fitz groaned, watching her check mate him with her queen and two knights. Tessa whooped and cheered, smiling as she looked at Fitz. “We should so play doubles sometimes.”  
“Doubles chess?” Fitz laughed, resetting the board. Coulson passed through, nodding at each of them. He looked at the board and laughed.   
“Amilee, you have to let the boy win sometime?”  
“Eh.” She shrugged with a slight smile, her first in weeks. “It’s one small win against all of the others when we play another ball game.”  
“I can’t throw.” Fitz said and Tessa burst into peals of laughter, shifting to kneel upwards.  
“Neither can I!” She nudged his hand and the whole board went flying. Amilee made to get some of the fallen pieces but Tessa stopped her.  
“Shouldn’t you be doing physio or some exercises to stop from getting unfit?” She said, teasing as she dropped under the table.  
“No. I’ve done that…” Amilee glanced over at Simmons who had lifted an eyebrow. Coulson just laughed, exiting to his office. He reappeared briefly, looking at Amilee. “Agent Barton, I would like a word in thirty minutes.”  
“Yes sir.” She said, swallowing slightly. A nervous tickle ran down her spine and she shifted in her seat. “Of course sir.”   
Ward entered the room and the hairs on Amilee’s neck stood straight as he looked straight at her, then at the board.  
“Fitz, if you haven’t won by the end of the week, I’d give up.” He said, voice completely monotone. He grabbed a bottle of water, then left, returning to the loading bay to carry on with the training session. His hair was just starting to stick to his forehead and the back of his neck. Amilee swallowed. His complete turnabout had been thoroughly unexpected over the past three months.   
“But-“ Fitz didn’t get to answer him as Ward disappeared. “…He has got a bee in his bonnet, that’s for sure.” He frowned, looking at Tessa who was now stood above him. “What’s so funny?” His eyebrows lifted briefly and then he shrugged, continuing to set up the board.  
“Nothing… But a thank you would have been nice.”  
“Barton… I think it would be better if we had that chat. Now.” Coulson’s voice rang through her coms and from the looks on everybody else’s faces, she knew they had had heard it too.  
She paused, then entered Coulson’s office, hand splayed across her stomach like an expectant mother splays theirs across the precious bump.  
“What has happened to our team?”  
Her eyebrows dropped into a confused glare, creasing her forehead into deep lines which were going to take up permanent residency there.   
“I don- I don’t understand, sir.”  
“Please, take a seat.”  
“No, sir. I’ll stand.” He gave her a sharp look and she sighed, sitting down in the chair opposite him, back straight, head held high. She would lie if she had too.  
“We need to talk about what happened, two months ago.” Coulson said, looking her in the eye.  
“Why, sir?” Amilee asked, looking anywhere but his face. She focused on a smart calligraphy pen on the corner of his desk.   
“Because I need some clarity as to what happened.” He said, tone even. “You and Ward-“  
“Nothing happened, sir, nothing is going to happen.” She nodded one, jaw set as she forced the words out in a flat voice.  
“I believe you, Barton.” Coulson’s voice was kind, a slight hint of warmth seeping through. “What transpired between you and Agent May?”  
“I don’t know what you’re talk-“  
“Please don’t lie to me, agent. It will end very badly for you.” Coulson let her take another steadying breath as she settled back into the leather swivel chair with her eyes closed.   
“You need to understand that I don’t think I remember everything as it happened. Some of it is very blurry, like I had an episode. Agent May brought up some things of a sensitive nature and I reacted rashly.”  
“Rashly isn’t plunging a knife into your stomach.”  
She winced at the bluntness of his words. But she nodded, folding her hands in her lap.  
“It was a stupid act but I will not apologise.” She finally looked up at him.   
“And where does Ward fit into this equation?”  
“He doesn’t. It was entirely my fault.”  
“You misunderstand.” Coulson said as her words trailed off into a mutter. He spoke just as softly as she did. “You fell for him during your time undercover, yes or no?” It was a simple question but her tongue betrayed her as it fumbled the answer she had so carefully planned during the moment’s silence.   
“Ye- Not at all, sir. I see him as a partner in the team but not in any sense.” The words fell out in stutters and she hesitated, biting her lip hard.   
“Is that all you feel for him, Agent?”  
“Yes.” She nodded. “Any affection that was built up has not been acted upon nor has it increased as such.” She shuddered slightly, looking at him carefully, watching for any flicker of information that she might use. Nothing was forthcoming so she stood slowly. Coulson nodded.  
“Barton…” He said, just as she reached to door of his office. “Amilee.” She stopped, turning to face him. “I wanted to say thank you.”  
“For what?” Her features crumpled into another frown.   
“For joining the team. I’m glad you’re here.”  
“If you’re talking about my attempt to gut myself, sir, may you, respectfully, get to the point?” She asked, tone curt as she began to chew on her lip. “Sorry, I…” He cut her off, offering another warm smile.  
“I want to thank you for your help with the Matthews case… And I am sorry for the strain which it put on you.” He said, folding his fingers under his chin, resting it atop them. “We’ve all been given a week of leave. We’re heading for the destination now. I’m asking you, as an uncle, to keep an eye on Tessa. She looks about ready to burst from the confinement so the timing couldn’t be better. Please…”  
“What do you mean, leave?”  
“Respite. It’s been full on for the past few months. Apparently, the orders come from on high and Director Fury can’t override them.”  
“He can’t?” Surprise entered her voice and he nodded, giving a small laugh.   
“It shocked me as well. It is one week on an island off the coast of Hawaii. Part of me feels like it’s a trap, or a training exercise in team participation but…” He shrugged, offering her a smile which she returned cautiously. “Please feel free to tell the others, but keep the eye on Tessa. She trusts you, even if you don’t trust her. I don’t want her running off with a surfer for a frolic on the sand.” She watched Coulson shudder and laughed. He really did love his niece despite keeping a lot from her.   
“Yes, sir. Are they all my orders consist of?” He nodded, wincing at the thought he’d just conjured, of images of…   
“Yes, Barton.” He nodded at the door and she frowned slightly.  
“Are you sure about this leave, sir? Is our work finished?”  
“Our work is never finished, but you, of all people need a proper rest.”  
“I think I could say the same of you.” Amilee took the time to look at him properly, scanning his face. The lines, the worry lines, were harsher and prominent, his body was slumping and his eyes, kind, warm, were fraught with exhaustion. She lifted her chin.   
“Go, Barton.” He said, lifting an eyebrow. She left without another word. Coulson sighed, looking at the young girl in the photograph, caught in a frozen moment in time. It was clearly a younger Tessa, how he still saw his now twenty year old niece after all this time. He couldn’t let her go, he couldn’t let something that had been so wonderful go after such a long time. It had been part of the reason he’d survived, at least, that’s what he told himself after a nightmare of his own. He’d heard Barton’s screaming, knowing that the pain eased with time, if only slightly. He sighed again, looking at the door through which she had just left. Time would mend the team, it would heal the cracks in the mirror of trust, even if they remained for all to see.


	20. Chpater 20

Tessa sighed as she looked at Amilee over the top of her text book. She was studying up on some geography for the quiz that Simmons had put together. She’d divided the team into to sub groups and, whilst they were on holiday, they had to brush up on a specialist area. Just in case, Simmons had said as she’d handed everybody a pack of what was going on during the vacation. Tessa wasn’t holding out much hope for the holiday, although Amilee had tried to be a little bit more open towards her, even towards Skye.   
Striking up a friendship with the hacker had been the easiest, Tessa felt that she was the most approachable, and Skye had lived up to that instinct. There had been no suspicion, well, there had been no need for it on Tessa’s part. Once she had heard Skye’s story of what had happened before she had joined the story, did she understand why everybody else, including her uncle, distrusted the computer expert. That had surprised her but then he had given Sky a second chance, much like the one he had passed to Amilee. Tessa eyed her carefully, then smirked, gaze darting to the door way of the large villa’s open plan bottom floor.   
Ward stood there, dripping from the swim he had just taken. He sighed, glancing at Amilee who, Tessa could see, was peeking looks at him from the corner of her eye. Amilee was in a pair of board shorts and a bikini top and she had to admit, the agent looked slamming. Skye nudged Tessa with her foot and she gulped, picking her jaw from the floor, realising that she had been staring at Ward’s torso. She was supposed to ask Skye a hacking question but the distraction of Ward’s bare, dripping chest was a little too distracting. There was a collective sigh, and then Amilee stood up, stretching out her shoulders with a cracking snap of her neck. She walked past Ward without a word, heading for the pool. He lifted an eyebrow, and turned. Tessa smirked, watching it play out. She wanted her little lovebirds back together. Ever since she’d seen them together, well, it was just too good an opportunity to miss. She stood up and held out her hand to Skye.  
“Come with me. I wanna swim whilst it’s still light.”  
“Okay…” Skye looked at her uncertainly, taking her tablet with her. “But only if you quiz me on the hacker’s guide to firewalls or whatever it is Simmons gave me to read.”   
The villa they were staying on was obviously rented out for weddings and large family functions, especially with more than enough rooms. However many there were, Tessa had been insistent that Amilee and Skye share with her. Girl bonding and all that. She had asked Simmons but she’d wanted her own space and May… Well, May was just a little bit too cold for her liking, and a lot older. Tessa was much inclined to girl time, deeming it an important part of her routine.   
“We can cram for that later, come on! I wanna see… I mean, I wanna swim before I have to get dry and respectable.” Tessa sighed, then smirked as she saw Amilee dive smoothly into the pool, body sinuous as she slid through the water, cutting through it in a smooth line.   
“Or you want to see Ward’s naked body?”  
“Who said something about me being naked?” Ward had crept up behind them and there was a flicker of a smile playing on his lips.   
“Uh…” Skye trailed off, and scarpered outside, trying to walk backwards as she just managed to keep her eyes on his face. Tessa was staring unashamedly at his chest, watching the muscles move as he shifted where he stood.  
“Tessa?” He said, quirking an eyebrow.  
“Uhuh?” Her jaw stayed loose, hanging open and he laughed, crossing his arms. She swallowed slowly, finally dragging her eyes up his body.   
“Have you finished?”  
“Uhuh.” She backed out of the room, licking her lips to wet them, her mouth suddenly dry.   
Amilee’s head popped up at the opposite end to Skye and Tessa, and she hung over the side of the pool. Steadying herself with her arms crossed, she looked out over the sea views, admiring the sparkle of the water in the slowly dying light. They’d been in and out of the pool, diving in, pulling each other in. Fitz-Simmons had joined them, and they were currently debating whether it was better… Well, she couldn’t quite hear them, but it had just gotten intense. She found herself lulled by the motion of the water; someone had joined her but at that moment, surrounded by people she liked, with glorious climate and a lush place to stay, she didn’t care. That was, until she heard them speak.  
“Amilee.”  
Ward had swum over to her, his pose nearly identical to hers as he gripped the glass edge of the pool. It was situated at the edge of the cliff, drilled into the rock and screened with the clear glass so they were swimming at tree level.  
“Grant.” She gave him a curt nod, still watching the peaceful view in front of her. She shivered as a light breeze started to play out and he looked at her, forehead broken into a frown.  
“I thought we should-“  
“Save it for someone who wants to listen, Grant. Maybe you should talk to Melinda about it whilst you’re wrapped up in each other.” Amilee turned, swimming away from him, her heart sinking in her chest as the words came out. She couldn’t deal with the look on his face, the way his eyebrows came together in confusion, his jaw clenching, a muscle twitching.   
“Amilee…” He growled, slamming a fist against the side of the pool. He turned, catching sight of her slide up and out of the pool. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. She wouldn’t appear again this evening, rather like the last time he had tried to talk to her, only the previous evening. He dove back under the water and surface by the group, joining in the conversation fluidly as if he had been there from the beginning. It was becoming easier for him to interact with the rest of them. 

Amilee sobbed into the pillow, cursing everyone and everything she hated within a five mile radius. She ground her teeth, jaw clicking with the movement. Her fingers trailed through her wet hair, and her forehead lined with pain. She took a breath as she sat up, her fingers beginning to tremble in front of her eyes. Shaking her head, her chant started repeating itself, the words issuing smoothly from her lips as she murmured quietly.  
The door knocked. Her head flicked from her fingers to it, looking at the thin screen. She hadn’t pulled the blind down; it was all the privacy the door afforded. It was too hot for solid wood doors on the island, so screens and shades were used instead. Ward was stood there, fist raised from knocking. She nodded for him to come in, curling around her knees, head resting on the top of her knees.   
“Amilee…” He just stood, looking at her for another moment before entering the room. She shifted, and he stayed on the threshold of the room.   
“What do you want, Grant?” She asked, biting her lip as she closed her eyes, when she opened them again, they were on the ceiling.  
“I want to talk, Amilee. Nothing more.”  
“Well, you made that perfectly clear to May. How did you cope? Did she throw herself at you?” She snapped. The room was large, made for three to live in harmony without getting under the other’s feet. But Ward was in her space, taking up every inch of the bubble she surrounded herself with.   
“We’d been drinking.”  
“I’d been drinking but I didn’t see you taking advantage of me!” Her stomach twisted as the words slipped out. Her face nearly fell but she righted it, keeping her thoughts from her face.  
“I didn’t take advantage, Amilee. It was a consenting act between two responsible adults. It wasn’t fuelled by another reason. If anything, I regret it!”  
“You regret it? Was it not good enough to stroke your ego?”  
“Nothing came of it. If I’d known you were… You were interested, I wouldn’t have done anything.” Ward opened his mouth as if to speak further but shut it again. His lips pressed together into a thin line.  
“…” She lifted an unimpressed eyebrow, looking him up and down. “Seriously? You expect me to believe you?”

“I haven’t slept with her since!” Tessa frowned as she heard Ward’s yell. She stepped out of his way, pulling back against the warm yellow wall of the main corridor. He stormed past, heading for his room which was just around the corner from hers.   
“Amilee?” She asked, poking her head into the room.   
“Hey, Tessa.” Amilee sighed, eyes closed with her head lolling back against the pillows.  
“So are you and Ward having like hot angry wall sex or something?”  
“What?! NO!” Amilee shot of bed and ran for the door, slamming it shut hard enough to make the glass rattle in the frame.  
“Your hair is, like, ruffled and not in a bed head sort of way, Lee.” Amilee’s head shot up and she glared at Tessa.   
“I thought I asked you not to call me that.”  
“I thought I told you I was going to ignore you.” She smiled innocently and sat down on her bed, folding one leg beneath her.   
“Lee, come on… What is the deal with you two? Like you either need to blow each other’s brains out or, I don’t know, get laid at the very least!”   
“If your uncle heard you talking like that, Tessa, you’d be locked up on the 616 in the interrogation room.” Amilee allowed herself to smile, and Tessa chuckled, slumping against her pillows.  
“Hey, I’m not the special little snowflake that he makes me out to be. But seriously, though, like… Why?”  
“Why what?” Amilee walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a colourful, loose t-shirt which she tugged over her head. She grabbed her hairbrush and dragged it through her wet curls, which were only just beginning to dry.  
“Why are you and Ward so… Graaaagh!” Tessa made a choking motion with her hands and her face twisted into a grimace.  
“Because I’m too much of a damaged individual to even process a friendship, let alone a romantic one.” This sounded too much like the conversation she’d had with Coulson on the Bus.   
“I wouldn’t have called you damaged… Just, misunderstood?” Tessa tried out the word and nodded. “Yeah, misunderstood. And you can be a bit of a bitch sometimes.” She said truthfully, grinning widely at Amilee. The older woman paused, lifting an eyebrow and folded her arms.  
“A bit I would call an understatement.”   
“Exactly…” Tessa nodded, sucking her cheeks in as she looked at Amilee. “Look, you like Ward, right?”  
“Right…” She said slowly. “He’s a good agent, looks okay.”  
“God, Lee, are you blind? You are so cold towards him. Like, honestly, from one girl to a…” Tessa looked at Amilee and smirked. “Well, from one girl to a woman, you should at least, like, let him talk to you as a colleague instead of ignoring him all the time. And you have to admit, walking out of the room every time he enters is getting a bit thin, don’t you think?” She said and Amilee nodded, self-hatred stewing in her stomach. Everything that Tessa was saying was true and she didn’t want to admit it but something was telling her that she needed to.  
“Lee, you know you’ve just given me a challenge, right?” Tessa lifted an eyebrow, and for an instant, she looked like her uncle when he was planning something. Amilee rolled her eyes, smiling as she looked at the intern practically bouncing on her bed.   
“No, I’d never have guessed it.”


	21. Chapter 21

Evening rolled around, the sky bruising through purples and oranges as the sun sank behind the horizon. There was a pleasant breeze and the burner was charged up, tall flames flickering in the metal tube which towered through the villa. It kept the team warm, but Simmons was feeling the cold, wrapped up in a blanket. May and Coulson had both retired, choosing to leave the rest of the group to their devices. Skye was in the middle of telling Tessa a story about the last time they’d been grounded and the look on Tessa’s face made Amilee smile. She caught Ward’s eye at the other end of the sofa and the smile fell ever so slightly despite the grin which was playing on his lips. Try as she might, Skye and Simmons had claimed the pair of low, long arm chairs which were comfortable enough to curl up in and doze, and Tessa had practically dragged Fitz, there was definitely something blossoming there, to the other sofa. Ward and Amilee had slumped at either end of the remaining sofa, nearly sitting on their respective arms. Tessa had given Amilee a pointed look, so that with a sigh, she had reluctantly slid into the seat and curled up, showing her back to Ward.  
“So, what shall we do?”   
Amilee shrugged, rubbing her bare arms. “I don’t know… I was going to go for a midnight swim.”   
“Why?”  
“Why not?” She shot back quickly, glancing again at Ward who had finally turned and settled, resting his head on his hand. “Could be fun.”  
“We could play truth or dare?”  
“We’re adults.” Simmons said, lifting an unimpressed eyebrow with her clipped accent rising sharply over the crackle of the fire.   
“It does sound like it could be some fun… Get some truth out of Agent Silence over there.” Skye teased as she grinned at Ward. For the first time, Amilee felt a twinge of jealousy and she lifted an eyebrow.  
“Maybe we’ll get something true out of you then.” She quirked a sharp eyebrow, adding to the gesture with the tilt of her head. Ward coughed, and Amilee flicked him a hard glare which he shrugged off.   
“Hey.” Skye held up her hands, and Tessa nudged Fitz with her foot. Hard. He squeaked, clapping a hand over his mouth as everybody turned to him. He flushed and Tessa smiled, biting her lip as she looked at Amilee.   
“Okay, so yes to truth or dare?”  
Amilee shrugged. “Sure. Not it though.”   
“Fine, I’ll be it.” Tessa sat up and shifted perceptibly closer to Fitz in the process. He was still flushed and the colour, which had started to leave his cheeks, returned. “Um… I’m going to start with Simmons. Truth or Dare?”  
“This game is childish and petulant, and I refuse to play.” Simmons snuggled under blanket, but everyone could tell she had folded her arms. Tessa rolled her eyes, turning to face Fitz who shook his head. “Please…”  
“Come on, Fitz. It’s one little question. I promise I’ll be kind.”  
“Okay.” His voice shook slightly and Amilee chuckled, bringing her knees to her chest as she bit her lip on the chuckle.  
“Right. Here goes.” Tessa turned completely, bringing her legs up under her. “Truth or dare?”  
“Uh… Dare.” He said, nodding bravely. He missed the slight glint in Tessa’s eye.  
“Well, then, I dare you to….” Tessa looked around the room for inspiration. “I dare you to bite…”  
“To bite?” His eyes widened with fear and he swallowed nervously. Ward lifted his chin, smirk appearing around his eyes.  
“To bite Amilee on the neck.”  
Amilee stood up, hands lifting defensively. “Hey now. That’s unfair!”  
“Tough. That’s your dare, Fitz, or we have to ask you for a truth!”  
“Fine… Amilee, I’m sorry…”  
“Oh, and I want a bruise or it didn’t happen!”   
“So you want him to give her a hickey.” Tessa nodded at Skye’s words and grinned, sitting up straight so she could see what was happening.  
“Uh…” Fitz stood up slowly, crossing the space between the sofas to approach Amilee. She stood and faced him, lifting her damp, slightly curling hair from her neck so he could get better access. “Um…”  
“Just pretend you are about to bite into an apple.” She sighed, closing her eyes as she waited. There was a brief scrape of teeth of on skin and she opened her eyes, looking directly at Ward who was glaring at Tessa. Fitz dug his teeth in a little harder and Amilee’s lip curled.   
“Can he let go now?”  
“Yes.” Tessa nodded, grinning at Amilee who narrowed her eyes. She would get Tessa back for that. “Now, Fitz, it’s your go. Choose who you want to ask.” She gestured towards Skye or Ward. Simmons was watching with great amusement and she laughed. “You should go for Skye.”  
“Okay then.” Fitz nodded, looking at Skye. “Truth or dare?”  
“Uh, dare.”  
“Um, I dare you to run around the room five times… acting like a monkey.” He said with a nod. “Yup.”  
“Right…” Skye laughed and stood up, hand already under her arms. She started hooting, galumphing around the room. She left the entire team in stitches, Amilee and Tessa had tears streaming down her face and Ward was grinning with a couple of slipped chuckles.   
“Right… My turn.” She cackled, bringing up dare ideas on her tablet.   
“Cheat!” Simmons said, laughing as Skye tried to switch tabs, but the screen froze.   
“Alright, alright… I suck at these but here goes. Amilee, truth or dare?”  
Tessa sat up straight and watched, smirking as Amilee’s eyes flickered to Ward. Skye noticed this and laughed. “Actually, I change my mind… Grant. Truth or Dare?”  
“Uh…” He jolted slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.  
“Well?”  
“Dare.” He said, face suddenly set and determined. Skye just smirked, glancing up at Tessa. Amilee’s hand clamped over the bruise that Fitz had caused surprised by his efficiency in causing the mark to bloom on her skin.   
“Right. I dare you to… Make Amilee wet.”  
Tessa snorted and coughed, choking on the sip of water she’d just taken. Even she couldn’t top that one.  
“Excuse me?” Grant and Amilee spoke in tandem. Skye shrugged with a cheeky grin.  
“You heard me.” She nodded, gesturing. “Well, get busy.”  
Grant looked at Amilee, eyes flicking up and down her body. “Yup. Okay, I know how to do it.”  
Amilee shrieked as he picked her up and carried her outside. Skye and Tessa followed, watching from the doorway with incredulous looks on their faces. Amilee was trying to shove him away to twist free but he kept a tight hold of her. That was until they reached the edge of the pool. Amilee found herself plunged into the warmed water with a cough and splutter. She shrieked out loud, then swallowed a load of water, causing her to choke as she surfaced.  
“Warugh…” She surfaced, treading water as peals of laughter escaped. Grant was also laughing, hands on his thighs as he watched her swim over. “I-I’m going to kill you…”  
“Are you?”  
“Yes.” She said with determination. With that, she grabbed his arms and yanked him forward. He lost his footing and as she dived out of the way, he tumbled into the water, joining her. “HA!” She swam to the edge but was tugged back under as he grabbed her foot, pulling her back under. Grant surfaced, pulling her with him.  
“You are such a child.”  
“Yeah, but you love it.” Amilee splashed him, kicking away from him towards the girls who were now dabbling their feet in the water. “Hey… Ward. Psst.” She grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop before they reached the side of the pool.  
“What?”  
“You wanna get them wet too?” She waved, pretending to smack him on the shoulder, at Tessa and Skye who had been joined by Fitz. He gave a slight nod, smirking ever so slightly as he swam towards Skye. Amilee surged towards Tessa, pushing the water towards her with a grin.   
“Hey Skye.” Ward grinned up at her and lifted an eyebrow at her confused glare back.   
“Whaddya want, Ward?”  
“Nothing.” He glanced at Amilee who nodded her head perceptibly. “Just…” He reached forward, pulling Skye into the pool. He was careful not to let her crack her head on the side and he laughed as Amilee dragged Tessa with her. Tessa coughed and spluttered, grabbing hold of Amilee’s shoulders and holding on tightly.  
“Hey!”  
“It’s alright, Tess. Nothing’s going to hurt you.” Amilee reassured her, steering her back to the edge where Fitz was waiting. He’d pulled several towels and was holding them out, waiting patiently. He was laughing but there was a sharp look of relief on his face as he helped pull Tessa from the water. She shuddered, curling into the towel he held out, He wrapped Tessa into a hug and smiled at Amilee who winked at him. Skye hauled herself out and took another towel from the pile on the nearby lounger. Sighing, Ward picked himself up and out of the pool, offering Amilee a hand which she accepted, much to his surprise. She gave his hand a little squeeze and hugged a towel around herself.  
“Can we make a rule of no outside dares? At least not until tomorrow morning?” She said, wrapping her now drenched curls up in a spare towel.   
“Sure.” Ward nodded, pulling off his shirt so it would dry quicker. He placed it on the back of chair near to the flames of the fire and gestured for anybody else’s. Skye’s hoody joined it as did Amilee’s top.   
Once inside, Amilee slumped back on the sofa, sprawling lengthways along it. Ward lifted an eyebrow, looking down at her.  
“Move your legs, Barton.”   
“No, Grant, I will not.”  
“Please.” He waited until shifted, then lifted her legs, diving into the space he created. She pulled her feet from his hands, then placed them back in his lap. The heater was turned up, stoked by an increase in gas as Skye looked back at them all.   
Tessa was grinning a little manically as she stayed snuggled up to Fitz, who had nervously put an arm around her shoulders.  
“Ward… It’s your dare!” She said, giggling as Amilee sighed, resettling herself.  
“Fine… Tessa.” He looked at her with a smirk. “Truth or dare?”   
Tessa sat up, cheeks and neck flushing as she pulled from Fitz, who looked a little crestfallen.   
“Truth.”  
“What is the worst thing you’ve done?”  
“In my life or what?” Tessa said coolly, and the tension in the room spiked. Ward sat back, folding his arms behind his head.  
“Just in general. Tell us something about you.”  
“Well… It was the time long ago.” She wiggled her fingers, looking at each of them in turn.   
“Really?” Skye laughed, standing up. “I’m just gonna get a drink, anybody else want one?”  
There was a chorus of answers, Simmons bidding them good night as she left.   
Skye returned to hear the last bit of Tessa’s story, laughing as she came in. She set the tray down and everybody reached for their mug, claimed during the first evening of their trip away from the bus. Amilee beat the rest of them, scooping up a couple of cookies which she dipped into her cup, nibbling her way around the edge. Fitz slurped the foam from the top of his drink, looking over the top at Tessa who was on the verge of wetting herself.  
“What did I do?” He said indignantly, frown appearing on his cheeks.  
“You’ve got a little…” She tapped her top lip, setting herself back off on a spiel of laughter. He wiped his hand across it, then looked at her.  
“You’re kidding me!” He growled, narrowing his eyes at her. “There was nothing there!”  
“Nope.” Tessa grinned, nudging his shoulder as he rolled his eyes, slumping back against the sofa.  
“So,” Skye asked, biting her lip. “Who’s turn is it now?”  
“I think it’s… Tessa’s.” Amilee nodded as Tessa looked at her and grinned widely. “You’re kidding right. I’ve been soaked once already, I do not intend to get that wet again!”  
“It’s alright… You just have to go and sit in the cupboard in the hallway for two minutes.”   
“I didn’t get asked truth or dare.” She looked at Ward as if he’d save her from the terrible fate. “Don’t make me do it.”  
“I’m not going to make you do anything. But, I got soaked too… So off you go.” He gestured for the door and Amilee stood up, taking her half eaten biscuit with her.   
“Two minutes?”  
“Two minutes.” Tessa said, smirking with an evil glint in her eye. “Promise.”  
“Fine, yeah…” Amilee took a deep breath and walked out of the room with her head held high. She approached the chest, it wasn’t really a cupboard, with caution. She swallowed the last of her cookie, and opened the lid, sliding inside slowly. She hesitated, holding the lid up.  
“Lid down, Lee!” Tessa called from her spot on the sofa and Amilee shook her head, biting her lip as she sucked in a deep breath.


	22. Chapter 22

Amilee wasn’t sure when she came out of the box and made it back into Ward’s arms. Her first thought was that it was a dream, that she’d shut the lid and then fallen asleep. That was until she heard the voices around her, Tessa’s high pitched panic stricken voice ringing in her ears.  
“She started screaming and thudding the roof of the box. I promise I was only sat on it for a couple of moments.”  
“Yeah, useful.” Ward muttered, looking at Tessa with an unimpressed glare. “You knew that was a bad idea the moment you did it.”  
Skye bit her lip, looking down at Amilee, then placing the glass of water she’d been sent to retrieve on the side.   
“Is there anything else she needs?”  
“Something sweet.” Ward sighed, tucking the hair behind Amilee’s hair, smoothing it gently from her face. He looked her over, making the call to tuck her under the sheets. “She’ll want it when she wakes up properly.”  
“What do you mean?” Tessa asked, peering at Amilee now she had calmed down enough to function properly.  
“Her eyes might be open but she’s not actually there right now.”  
“As in she’s in Budapest?”  
Ward nodded, wincing as Amilee’s nails dug into the skin on his bare shoulders when he tried to move her away from him.  
“I’m not going to be able to move for a while… Can you get some hot towels or something?” He checked the time and grumbled. Time had run away from them; it was nearly two in the morning.   
“So she’ll think it’s you?” Tessa said with a slightly lost looking smile. “Sure.” She curried off, finally glad to be out of the room. Skye plugged herself back in and looked away from Ward who peeled Amilee from his chest. She shivered and he swallowed nervously. He checked that Skye wasn’t looking, and leaned forward, brushing Amilee’s cheek with a kiss. He caught the upwards turn of her lips as he pulled back, checking her temperature. She was still cool, but he expected that. He nearly walked into Tessa, and he wordlessly took the towels from her.  
“She’ll be alright, Tessa.” He placed a hand on her shoulder squeezed gently.  
“Promise?”  
He breathed in deeply, then nodded. “She always has.”  
The next evening, Amilee surfaced from her sleep to see sunlight creeping under the shutters. She read her clock through bleary eyes and she stretched, rolling into someone’s thigh.  
“Finally… she’s awake.” Tessa looked down at Amilee with a grin, nudging her in the stomach. Amilee groaned, covering her eyes until they focused in the light. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”  
“…” Amilee rolled over, reaching for the bedside lamp to turn it off. Another hand beat hers to it, and Skye laughed as Amilee tried to slap her fingers away.   
“Here.” Skye offered, sliding the chocolate bar into her hands. “You look like you could use it.”   
Tearing open the wrapper, Amilee devoured the bar in a matter of seconds, then flopped back. She groped for the glass of water, bringing it to her lips. She took a long draught, sighing as she finally slowed down, her energy restored enough to think clearly.   
“What time is it?”  
Tessa bit her lip, swallowing as she looked at Amilee.  
“It’s 8.30.”  
“In the morning?” Amilee lifted her eyebrows. “That’s not such a bad thing… You don’t mean in the evening?”  
“Yeah.” Tessa nodded, squeezing her shoulder gently. “It’s like 2030 hours or something. Ward was muttering about how long you’d been out for.”   
“Oh it was only about 18 hours… I was out for longer in the hotel.” She dropped her eyebrows, biting her lip. “What do you mean he was talking about me?”  
“Just concern.” She laughed bitterly, chewing on her lip hard enough to make it bleed. “Why did you wake me up?”  
“We wanted to go dancing.” Tessa said, rubbing the back of her neck. “And we thought you might know the best place to go.”  
“Who’s going dancing?” Amilee said, eyes solemn as she looked at Tessa.  
“Um… Skye, me, you, Ward and Fitz.” The younger woman smiled, blushing at the mention of Fitz’s name.   
“That’s not exactly a big group.” Amilee said, frowning as she looked out of the crack of window that was visible beneath the blind.   
“Yeah. May and Coulson are recuperating. Simmons came down with stomach bug so she’s back in her room again.” Tessa swallowed. “I hope she gets better though. Do you think it’s an after effect of the…”  
“The virus?” Skye interjected. She was already dressed up, ready to go out on the town.  
Amilee nodded, thinking about it in her head. “Probably… Is Fitz up for it?” She swung her legs round and stood up, wobbling slightly. “No, I’m good.” She waved Skye away and straightened her back. “I’m definitely good.”   
“Alrighty then.” Skye said, laughing as Tessa coloured up. “When Tessa suggested it, Fitz couldn’t help but volunteer… She seems to have an effect on him.”  
“No. I do not!” Tessa said, with a pout, her arms crossed as she sat on the bed.  
“Yeah. Yeah, you do.” Amilee laughed, running a hand through her hair. “Eww… I’m gross so if I shower and put on a dress, will you give me a couple of hours to get ready? I promise once I feel a little more human, I will be the best dance partner for both of you.”  
“Up you come… Mind the step.” Laughing quietly as she dragged Tessa towards the door of the villa, Amilee helped her into the lobby. Tessa made to pull away, swaying on her feet with a slight groan.   
“I’mma throw up.” She coughed and Amilee grabbed her hand, trying to pull her towards the open window.   
“No, you’re not. You need to go to bed.” Skye muttered, rubbing her eyes as she looked at the pair.  
“No, no, no. I need to see if Fitzy is okay.” Tessa said through slurred words, swaying slightly on the spot. “I don’t… I don’t feel so good.”  
“I’m not surprised, you had a lot to drink.” Amilee lifted an eyebrow, then shook her head as she lifted the younger girl’s arms around her shoulders. Skye wobbled on her heels before making the right choice to shuck them onto the floor and pad bare feet to get the door for Amilee as she hoisted their friend through the house.  
“Amilee… I think you should screw Ward and screw him goooooood.” Tessa giggled, shrieking with laughter, her face falling into a pout as Amilee clapped a hand over her mouth.  
“Shut it, you drunkard.” She teased, cheeks rosy from the walk home. “Now, I’m gonna tuck you up and get you some water. Then you’re going to sleep and be quiet.”  
“Amilee… You’re perdeh… Would you sing a song?” Tessa asked, voice muffled behind the skin of Amilee’s palm. “Preddy pleases?”  
“No. You’re going to bed.” She growled, turning Tessa into the bedroom, laying her down on her bed. She lifted her legs, sitting down to tug Tessa’s stupidly high high heels from her feet. “Damn, girl!”  
Tessa had kicked out as Amilee’s fingers caught the sole of her foot. She moaned, head lolling on the pillow, her jaw slackened as she started to snore softly. Skye looked at Amilee who nodded sympathetically.  
“Skye, just go to sleep. I can finish taking care of Tessa.” And you, she added mentally, making a note to get two of everything and put it on the bedside table between Skye and Tessa’s twin beds. She had nabbed the double bed at the beginning of the trip, the size and the fact it was in a private section of the room making it better for her if she had a night terror.  
“Right, you are both going to wake up with hang overs. And I am allowed to laugh. A lot. Deal?” She asked Tessa, teasing tone lost on the girl who was dead to world as she snored fitfully, muttering about she’d do to Fitz. Shuddering at a particularly lurid comment, Amilee took her cue to leave, making sure that both of the younger girls were comfortable.  
Once outside, she slumped back against the door frame, taking the moment to breathe before heading for the kitchen. She grabbed the washing up bowl and rummaged as quietly as she could for another bucket which she found under the sink. She left another one out just in case Fitz needed the container. She hurried back to find Tessa about to roll over onto her side and vomit down the side of the bed. Stuffing a bowl beside Skye who groaned at her, Amilee raced to Tessa’s side, putting the bucket in her lap and standing to hold her hair out of the way.  
“Easy…” The retching was loud and there was a crash outside as the other bucket fell to the floor. “Damn.”  
Tessa moaned, retching her stomach empty into the bucket. Amilee just sat there sighing, rubbing her back gently to try and help soothe her. She was going to regret it in the morning, she should not have drunk so much but Amilee’s advice had fallen on three pairs of deaf ears.  
“Okay… Okay, finished? There we go. Easy.” Amilee wiped Tessa’s mouth with a tissue, throwing into the bucket. She helped Tessa lie down again, and hurried into the en suite to clean out the mess that the drunk girl had made. Returning, she found Ward bearing a tray with two full glasses and a pitcher of water.  
“Oh, you babe.”   
She heard Tessa’s drunken giggle and rolled her eye.  
“Go to sleep, you are wasted.” Amilee took the tray, a slight shiver escaping as she removed it from his hands; their fingers brushing sent a shock of electricity through her body.   
“I’m not wasted.” He hissed quietly, looking at her with confusion.  
“Not you, genius, little Miss ‘I can drink oh so much’ over there.” She put the tray down on the table between the beds and stood back. “Right, now for Fitz-”  
“He’s already been sorted, okay?” Ward frowned as Tessa leant over the bed to retch blindly, just making the bucket from her clumsy sloth position on the bed. Amilee groaned, head in her hands.  
“Did you want to stay with me?” The words tumbled from Ward’s mouth before he realised they’d been thought of.  
“Uh…” Amilee took one look at her current roommates, then back at him with a slight nod.  
“Um…”  
“Sure, Ward. I’ll sleep in your bed.” Her shoulders drooped, posture following suit as she ran a hand through her hair.  
“My arms are open.” Again, he didn’t think before he spoke.  
“Good.”   
Ward swallowed nervously for a moment before placing his hand on her shoulder and turning her. She moved willingly, and he found himself wrapped up in the hug before he knew what happened. Amilee glanced up at him, smiling softly.  
“Thank you.” She murmured and Ward found himself moving to lean in closer. He coughed, pulling away at the last moment. Amilee couldn’t help the exasperated exhale which escaped her as she watched him move. He took her hand, then dragged him to his room, one down the hall from Fitz.   
There was a moment of silence as Amilee stepped out of her heels in the door frame, placing them to the side of the arm chair which was in the corner. Ward shut the door behind her, smiling softly as he watched her pull her hair free. He stood behind her as she worked, freeing her long curls which spread across her back. He knew what they looked like spread across pillows, he’d seen it before.  
“Amilee…” He breathed, already out of his jacket and over shirt, his jeans slung low about his hips. Turning, she caught him watching and gave him a gentle smile. Looking up at him through her eyelashes, her tongue darted to lick her lips, wetting them in their sudden dryness.   
“Grant?” She asked, and her voice warmed the room, the word heated as it fell from her lips.   
“…Can I kiss you?” He was suddenly in front of her and she flinched hard enough to make the hand he placed on her shoulder shift. Her breathing was becoming laboured, catching every so often as she gave a slight nod of her head. His head lowered and she moved quicker than he expected. Her anxiety was shed, the inhibition of cover lifted as she freely wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to meet the kiss halfway. His hand slipped to the small of her back, sliding to a more intimate setting to where it was indiscernible if it was the base of her spine or the top of her butt which he was touching. Either way, she didn’t complain, purring as she pulled him closer.   
“…Grant?” She broke the kiss, just enough that every word was a brief touch of lips. “Take me to bed with you.” Amilee stared up into Ward’s eyes, shivering with anticipation as his eyes darkened with each word, his pupils blown with quiet arousal. She waited for an answer, one he gave in kisses and subtle movement. She didn’t notice, hitting the covers and pulling him with her into a passionate embrace.   
Sunlight snuck under the blind in Ward’s room and his eyelids flickered, slowly blinking open as he woke up. His bed was pleasantly cool. He glanced to his left, the clock’s red numbers flashing the time. Ten thirty. He sighed with a contented smile, the rolled onto his side, pressing a gentle kiss to her shoulder. He smiled as she twisted and stretched, returning to the curled up ball she’d slept in, pressing into his side like an ice pack. He closed his eyes for a moment, tucking around her. His feet pressed to the soles of hers, his knees fitting into the spaces left by hers. He moved her hair and she whined, sleep driven protests as she tried to return back to sleep. Shifting, Amilee reached behind her to run her fingers through his hair, sleepily trailing them down his neck. He purred, nuzzling the back of her neck.  
“Good morning.”  
“Sh, don’t ruin it.” She muttered, wriggling so she faced him, thumb nestling against his neck.   
“We should make an appearance.” He murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist.  
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave them guessing?” She lifted an eyebrow, curling her fingers against his bare chest. He let his fingers splay over her waist, mapping the contour with the tips of his fingers. She hummed, closing her eyes as she exhaled slowly.   
“I think it was quite obvious what happened?”  
“Skye and Tessa were wrecked. I didn’t want to sleep in there anyway… They’re going to be wrecked this morning. I dread to think what Fitz was like last night.” She chuckled, snuggling under his chin. A slight shiver ran through his body and Ward bit his lip, holding back a moan. His heart was pounding beneath his chest, and Amilee hesitated before bringing her fingers back up. She closed her eyes once more, settling her breathing as she pressed against him.  
“I have no idea.” Ward muttered, breathing the scent of her hair as it wafted as she moved. He slipped his hand down her back, stroking the smooth expanse of skin between her underwear and bra, a smile slipping over his lips at her slight purr.   
“I need a shower and a swim. Maybe I should do that the other way around.” She shrugged, nose pressed against his collarbone. Ward traced lazy circles into her skin and smiled, pulling back to look down at her. Amilee shuffled, biting her lip as she dragged herself away from him. “You know… I have to sneak back into my room and not get caught on my way out?”  
He nodded, laughing as she pulled her dress back on, her voice muffled as she continued to speak.  
“And if I do get caught, I need an exciting story. You’re a bit of a…” She winked at Ward as she walked towards the door, her heels slung over her fingers by the strap. He had his hands behind his head. With an eye roll, he smiled, gesturing for her to go.   
“I’m nothing of the sort but whatever floats your boat, Amilee.”  
“I’ll see you in the pool, Grant?”   
“Sure.”   
Amilee padded along the corridor, feet quiet in the plush carpet as her toes sank into it. She hesitated by the door to her shared room, sliding through the thinnest gap she could. She grabbed her other clean swimming costume, and made for the en suite bathroom where she went through her routine. Her head was clear this time; she’d managed to stay off the booze for the evening, letting her take care of the others. There had been tequila and dancing… And then some more tequila. Well, for them anyway. There had been several picture worthy moments. Fitz and Tessa dancing with each other, Fitz trying to pick Tessa up, Ward succeeding in pulling Amilee onto the dance floor for a rather sexy salsa number. She rubbed the back of her neck with a baby wipe, clearing off the last traces of makeup.   
She pulled the costume up and checked she wasn’t showing anything inappropriate before shutting the light off as she opened the door, clothes folded over her arm. She placed them on a chair, and then left, grabbing a towel.  
The sun was up and bright, the tiles surrounding the pool warm beneath her feet as she walked carefully to the edge, looking over the view. Amilee dove in, feeling the water, cold to the touch, swell and move from her as she swam through it. They were to leave in the next couple of days. Part of her wanted to remain, happily ignorant of the outside world but another wanted to dive back into the field. As much as she’d hated the recurrent frequency of her episodes, there had been a sense of fulfilment which she hadn’t had before, cooped up in the facility.   
“Amilee?”   
Her head turned, and she swam back towards the villa, rising from beneath the surface. The water dripped from her loose hair, now slicked back, and ran down her shoulders. Smirking, Grant sat down, legs paddling in the pool. She leant on her forearms, shaking her head.  
“What do you want?” She lifted an eyebrow, looking at him, perplexed.  
“I was just checking you made it.”   
“Made it?” She hesitated, biting her lip as her forehead crumpled slightly. Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh. You mean…” She pointed at the door, then patted his leg as she hoisted herself from the water. She twisted to sit next to him, shoving him with her elbow.  
“Hey!” He shoved her back with his shoulder, biting his lip with a small smile as she growled, whacking his chest.  
“You were in my space.”  
“You’re in mine!” He snapped. Amilee rested her chin on his shoulder, blinking up at him.   
“Yeah, but I don’t see you complaining.” Laughing, she moved, her cheek taking the place of her chin, and his hand slipped around her waist, falling naturally into place. They made a nice picture, sat with their backs to the villa and curled around the other. Nice enough, in fact that Tessa did take a photograph on her phone as she spotted them, quiet enough to not be heard from her spot behind the screen door. She smiled, looking at it with a smirk. Her plan had worked. Despite the fuzziness which was creeping through her brain, Tessa was thinking clearly.   
Coughing loudly, she walked forwards, watching Amilee jump violently enough to force herself into the water.   
Amilee spluttered, clinging onto Ward’s leg in a moment of panic.  
“I feel so much better thanks for asking. Whoever suggested…” Tessa trailed off slowly, allowing a light smirk to play over her lips.   
“The shadows under your eyes, the stink of alcohol… Tessa, have you showered this morning?”  
“How are you okay?” Tessa found herself saying, head placed against her hand as she spoke to Ward. Amilee was too busy trying to get out of the pool to speak to Tessa, biting her lip as she looked at Ward who answered for her.   
“Because neither of us drank our weight in liquor.” He said, looking up at Tessa with a smirk. Laughing as she rolled her eyes, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, Ward finally helped Amilee out of the pool.  
“Okay?” He asked, as she shivered, pressing her damp body against his, the warmth exuding from him addictive. She gave a slight nod, ignoring Tessa’s open mouth.  
“Huh… Yes.” She pushed his chin up so she could nestle beneath it. He groaned, but the sound was playful as he settled her in a more comfortable position.  
“What is… Up, with you guys?” Tessa pointed, circling her finger around their faces.   
“Nothing’s up.” Ward said, arms wrapped around Amilee who lifted her eyebrows.  
“Like a couple of days ago… You hated each other. And now…” Tessa pointed at them again, pretending to make a heart from her fingers. “You’re basically together.”  
“We showed mutual indifference.” Ward made Amilee stand up, smirking as she tried to shove him into the pool. When he grabbed her ankle, she lashed out with enough force to shove him into the water. Coughing and spluttering, he closed his fingers around empty space as she pulled her foot back to the edge.   
“See ya later!” Amilee wiggled her fingers at Ward, leaving him to the water as she looped her arm through Tessa’s. As they walked away, she leaned in to Tessa’s ear and whispered ‘it seems I have some explaining to do.’


End file.
